Negan's Rose
by xxBrittMintxx
Summary: Melrose Grimes is taken to the Sanctuary as extra leverage to keep her father, Rick, under control. Once there, she accepts Negan's "proposal" and becomes one of his wives, in order to gain his trust and to kill him—but things change. She becomes infatuated with him just as he is infatuated with her. Can she fight her feelings? Can she help her family? Or will it be an all-out war?
1. The New World Order

**Okay, so yeah, random story idea popped into my head and so this came to be. It's probably not that great I just started writing it while during a writer's block and was trying to just write something just to write~ So if you enjoy this please review!~**

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Chapter 1: The New World Order

 _How did it come to this?_ Melrose Grimes thought, _How the fuck...did it come to this?_ She closed her eyes and lowered her head, breathing in a shaky sigh, as she reluctantly knelt on the graveled ground beneath her. She glanced over to her left to see the forty-year-old Eugene Porter, blubbering like a child as he too knelt on the ground; she felt sorry for him, yes she too was scared but she refused to give the pack of onlooking Saviors the satisfaction of her tears. Melrose moved her eyes to her right, to see her younger half-brother, Carl, following suit, then Aaron, and Sasha, then her father, Rick Grimes, until every member of their group, was kneeling into submission. No, group was the wrong word, they were more than a group, they were a family.

The twenty-three-year-old sighed once again, they were sitting ducks since the Saviors ambushed them and rid them of their guns, knives, and anything that they had that resembled a weapon. They had taken her pistol and her machete, that prick Simon had purposely taken his time patting Melrose, no doubt trying to cop a feel; Mel shook the remembrance of his wandering hands away and lowered her eyes, taking a quick glimpse of her combat-booted feet, in her peripheral vision. _Fucking idiot forgot to check my shoes,_ She thought, feeling her concealed boot knife still hidden away in the safety of her boot. Her nostrils flared in irritation, _It's too risky,_ Melrose thought, she knew that the instant she reached for her knife, the Saviors would open fire and she'd be filled with lead. _Dammit._ She cursed. She was fucked. They all were fucked and had no choice but to kneel and wait for whatever was to come next...

 _How did it come to this?_ She asked again, already knowing the answer. Mel knew the moment that they had blown up those Savior outposts that they were just opening a can of worms, a fucking huge can of worms that now fucked them royally. No one made a sound, not even the Saviors, the atmosphere was thick with intensity and fear, and unknowing, that is what frightened her the most. The unknown.

Even in the cool midnight air, a light sweat perspired on her brow, slowly drizzling down her light olive toned skin until it dripped off her chin. Her clothes began to cling to her body in an uncomfortable manner, and now she was regretting the choice of leaving her long brunette hair unbraided, it now, was an unruly mess, sticking to her forehead and the back of her neck; but, who the hell cared what she looked like? She wasn't expecting... _ **this**_. The Survivors plan was to get Maggie to the Hilltop to see the doctor, one of them was going to stay there with her until she was well again, while the others traveled back to Alexandria, most likely making it back before daybreak...then, everything went to shit.

That prick Simon, sauntered his way to the front of the pack to face the Survivors, Melrose glanced over to her side once more, noticing that there really was no way for them to escape; the Saviors not only had them outnumbered, but they were blocked in with cars, which still had the headlights on to create a make-shift spotlight, and behind Simon was their very own RV.

"We got lots to talk about,"Simon replied, as he took a few steps backward, towards the RV, he remained facing them the whole time, flashing a toothy grin. "So, let's meet the man."He said, right before giving the door of the RV a good, loud, pat.

At first, nothing happened, everyone and everything seemed to be frozen in time, but suddenly in the quietness, booted foot steps could be heard from inside the RV; Mel swallowed hard, and her heart began to beat rapidly, the anticipation of it all was becoming unbearable, and then the door creaked open—Melrose squinted, trying to make out the figure that came out of the darkeness of the RV, she could tell it was a man, a man wielding what looked to be a baseball bat; he slowly, made his way into the spotlight—he appeared to be about the same age as her father, so near or in his forties, his dark hair was slicked back and reached about the nape of his neck; he was surprisingly well groomed for a man living in an apocalyptic world, the slight stubble that covered his face was a salt and pepper hue, a coprophagous grin curled upon his lips; he wore a black leather jacket with way too many zippers, a maroon colored bandana was tufted up to act as some sort of ascot, his lowered half consisted of charcoal gray jeans and black boots, a black leather glove was donned on his right hand, while his left was bear and that baseball bat in which Mel had detected, was perched over his shoulder, barbed wire was wrapped tightly around the wooden bat and she could've sworn, that she spotted the stains of dried blood, soiling the wood. In another place and time, Mel would have thought that the man that stood before her, was pretty easy on the eyes for an older man, but they were in the _**here**_ and _**now**_ , and now, she wanted nothing more than to punched that smug ass grin off his chiseled face.

He swaggered before the Survivors, locking eyes with every single one of them, gripping the handle of his baseball bat tighter. "Pissing our pants yet?"The man asked, smugly, "Boy, do I have the feeling we're getting close. Yep. It's gonna be pee pants city here, _**reeeeal**_ soon."He taunted, "So, which one of you pricks is the leader? Hm?"

"This one,"Simon informed, pointing right to Rick, "he's the guy."

Mel glanced over to her father, she chewed the inside of her cheek from keeping her from speaking up; she looked back up at the man wielding the barbed wired bat, who slowly made his way towards Rick. This guy, wasn't like the others that they had come across over the years, you could look at him and tell that he wasn't fucking around, the way he carried himself was as if he owned the fucking world, and right now, he fucking did, he was the leader of the Saviors, after all, and they owned pretty much everybody. He was absolutely intimidating.

The man sighed before approaching Rick closer, another grin spread across his face as he stared down at the once small-town sheriff, but that was in another life. "Hi. You're Rick, right?"He asked, "I'm Negan. And I do not appreciate you killing my men. Also, when I sent my people to kill your people, for killing my people, _**yooou**_ killed more of my people."He snapped, "Not cool. Not fucking cool. You have no fucking idea how not cool _**that**_ shit is. But, I think you're gonna be up to speed shortly, yeah."Negan spat, his nostrils flared in anger as his dark brown eyes bored into Rick, "You're _**sooo**_ going to regret crossing me in a few minutes. Yes, you are."

Rick remained silent, they all remained silent, which seemed to please Negan, who continued on ranting, as he walked back and forth before the Survivors. "You see, Rick, whatever you do, no matter what, you don't mess with the new world order. And the new world order is this, and it's really very simple. So, even if you're stupid, which you very may well be, you can understand it. You ready? Here it goes. Pay attention. Give me your shit... or I will kill you."

The way that Negan had uttered those last few words, made a chill slither down Melrose's spine. _He's not fucking around...,_ She thought, her heartbeat was speeding up as fear completely engulfed her. He continued his menacing pacing, "Today was career day. We invested a lot, so you could know who I am and what I can do. You work for me now. You have shit, you give me it to me. That's your job. Now, I know that is a mighty big, nasty pill to swallow, but swallow it you most certainly will."He snapped, his dark brown eyes cut back to Rick, " _ **You**_ ruled the roost. _**You**_ built something. _**You**_ thought you were safe. I get it. But...the word is out. You are not safe. Not even fucking close. In fact, you're fucked, more fucked, if you don't do what I want. And what I want...is half your shit. And if that's too much, you can make, find, or steal more, and it'll even out sooner or later. This is your way of life now. The more you fight back, the harder it will be. So, if someone knocks on your door..."Negan paused to chuckle, "...you let us in. We own that fucking door. You try to stop us and we will knock that shit down! You understand?"He inquired, ceasing his pacing as he stopped at Rick once more. Rick just glared up at him, remaining silent once more. "What, no answer?"Negan teased, placing a hand to his ear. He chuckled darkly, "You don't really think that you were gonna get through this without being punished, now, did you? I don't want to kill you, people. I just want to make that clear from the get-go. I want you to work for me and you can't do that, if you're fucking dead, now, can you? But...you killed my people, a whole damn lot of them, more than I'm comfortable with. And for that, well, for that, you're gonna have to fucking pay."Negan hissed, "So now, I'm gonna beat the holy fucking hell outta one of you."

Melrose swallowed hard, her hands were trembling at her sides, fear had driven its fangs into her, but for a brief moment, a wave of relief washed over her. _T-Thank God, you're not here with us, Jase._ She thought, releasing a quiet sigh of reassurance, knowing that her fiance, Jase Flynnigan, was safe and sound back in Alexandria. He had decided to stay back and watch over, Mel and Carl's younger sister, Judith, while the rest of the Survivors took Maggie to the Hilltop. A single tear ran down her cheek, _At least you're safe, Jase..,_ She thought, as the fear returned to eat her alive.

Negan shifted the wooden baseball bat covered with barbed wire, holding it out before him for the Survivors to get a better look at it, "This—this is Lucille,"He replied, smirking, "and she. Is Awesome." He took his time with each word, referring to his baseball bat in an almost sexual manner as if _**she**_ were a person. "All of this, all of this, is just so we can pick which one of you gets the honor."His smirked, widened, as he began pacing before the Survivors, once again. Negan strolled past Rick, and Maggie, and paused before Sgt. Abraham Ford, the large red-headed man stared up at the leader of the Saviors, Negan narrowed his eyes at him, he inhaled sharply and a "huh" escaped his lips as he stroked the stubble on his chin and continued walking once again. This time, he stopped before Carl, Mel could hear her heart beating loudly in her ears, she was finding it a struggle to breathe, it felt as if her throat was enclosing, as she shot her eyes up at this terrifying man who now stood before her little brother; her trembling hands, turned into quaking fists.

" _ **Yooou**_ , got one of our guns."Negan said, harshly staring at Carl. Carl Grimes glared up at Negan with his one eye, which caused Negan to smirk; he bent down before the boy, "Whoa. You got a lot of our guns."He stated. Carl remained silent and continued to glower at the man that stood before him, Negan chuckled, "Shit, kid, lighten up, at least cry a little."He replied a smile slithered across his face before he rose to his feet and continued to make his way down the line of Survivors.

Mel glanced over to see that Negan had stopped before Maggie this time, her heart dropped into the deepest pit of her stomach, " _ **Jesssus**_. You look shitty."Negan taunted. Maggie Greene was unwell and pregnant, this was the whole reason they were taking her to the Hilltop, she had gone pale and had dark circles underneath her eyes, and she was experiencing excruciating abdominal pain; everyone knew, with her experiencing this, this early on in the pregnancy, that something was wrong. Maggie was unsteady on her knees, and each breath came out in labored huffs. "I should just put you out of your misery right now."Negan replied, lifting up Lucille as if he were getting ready to swing.

"No! Noooo!" screamed Maggie's husband, Glenn Rhee. He continued shouting his protests, tears streaming down his face as he sprung to his feet, attempting to charge towards Negan, but two Saviors quickly subdued him, tackling him to the ground,

"Stop it!"Maggie cried.

Melrose squeezed her eyes shut, her heart had no climbed into her throat, she slowly shook her head, _M-Maybe...this is all a dream...,_ She hoped, but she knew that she wasn't dreaming, she was awake, and this...this was really happening.

"Nope."Negan snapped, "Nope, get him back in line."He ordered, instantly the two Saviors that had Glenn pinned down, now drug him back into line with the others, Glenn continued to put up a fight yelling and crying the entire time until finally, the Saviors forced him back into line.

"Don't. Please don't."Glenn sobbed.

Negan clenched his jaw, and narrowed his eyes over at Glenn, and laughed darkly, "All right, listen. Don't any of you ever do that again, I **WILL** shut that shit down, no exceptions!"Negan shouted angrily, "First one's free. It's an emotional moment, I get it."He said, in a more relaxed tone. Negan's dark brown eyes shot back over to Rick, a slight smile formed on his lips, "Sucks, don't it? The moment you realize that you don't know shit."He derided.

His focus then moved over to Melrose, for a moment, their eyes locked, Mel quickly lowered her gaze, _Shit...,_ She cursed. It wasn't just her hands that were trembling now, as Negan approached her, it was her entire body; she bit the inside of her lip and even though fear was coursing through her veins, Mel stood strong.

Negan paused before her and Carl, she could feel his eyes looking her up and down and then, he cocked his head to the side, a smile on his lips as he looked back towards Rick, "Oh shit, these...these are your kids, right?"Negan questioned, to which Rick refused to answer, his smile widened, "Oh, these are most definitely your kids."He said, with a chuckle. Mel kept her eyes focused on Negan's black leather boots but suddenly, his face came into view as he bent down before her. She averted her eyes, abruptly Negan's strong gloved hand grabbed her chin, his grip on her tightened until she finally met his gaze, her ice blue eyes narrowed at him which caused him to smirk. It was true that Melrose and Carl had different mothers, Melrose's mother had been Rick's high school girlfriend, Naomi Smith, who had been a Native American, which made Mel's skin tone an odd light milky olive hue since her father was fair skinned. In that department, Carl and Mel looked completely different, but their bone structure and eye color were all inherited from Rick, Mel's hair color was just a shade darker than Carl's and their father's. "Damn, ***-fucking damn, you...you baby doll, are a pretty little thing. You're, Rick's baby girl, huh?"Negan asked, arching a black bushy brow. Mel did not speak, she let her glare speak for her, which just caused him to squeeze down harder, his fingertips were digging into her jawbone.

"Yes."She spat.

Negan nodded his head and smiled as he freed her from his grasp, "Damn Rick, you did a mighty fine job on these kids here."

"Just stop this!"Rick shouted.

"Hey!"Negan snarled, pointing Lucille at Rick Grimes, "Calm the fuck down, don't make me kill the little future serial killer. Don't make it easy on me."He said, moving Lucille so that the end of the barbed wire bat was inches away from Carl's face. "I gotta pick somebody. Everybody's at the table waiting for me to order."Negan said, sarcasm dripping from his lips. The leader of the Saviors, once again, paced before the Survivors, he began to whistle that ominous three chord tone, the very one that every single Savior whistled when they had ambushed them. Hearing the slow way in which Negan did it, made Mel shiver, suddenly he stopped, "Huh, I simply cannot decide."He admitted. Negan strolled back towards the RV, rubbing his temple in thought until he abruptly spun around, a smile on his face, "I got an idea."Negan said, slowly sauntering back towards the Survivors. "Eenie."He said, pointing Lucille at Rick.

Mel gulped. _W-What the fuck..._ , She thought, trembling in fear.

"Meenie."This time Lucille was facing Maggie,

"Miney." Now _**she**_ was in Abraham's face,

"Mo."Michonne was next,

"Catch," The bat was now pointed at Daryl Dixon, "a tiger," now it was on Rosita Espinosa, "by" Glenn was next, "it's toe."Eugene Porter was faced with Lucille next, "If it hollers,"Negan pointed the bat at Melrose next, she held her breath which made him smirk, "let him go."Lucille was on Sasha Williams, "My mother," Next was Carl, "told me,"Aaron was now staring down at the bat, this dragged for what seemed like an eternity. That fear of the unknown had turned Mel's stomach into knots, as Negan continued his sick little rhyme until...he was finished. "It."Negan grinned, Lucille had chosen her victim and it...was Abraham.

Sasha and Rosita began to cry, while everyone else remained silent in complete shock. "Anybody moves, anybody says anything, cut the boy's other eye out and feed it to his father, then cut the girl's eyes out and feed them to him as well, then we'll start. You can breathe, you can blink, you can cry." Negan snapped, "Hell...you're all gonna be doing that."He said, before raising Lucille into the air and driving the bat down hard onto Abraham's head, causing the big man to plummet to the ground. Sasha and Rosita screamed, Mel squeezed her eyes shut, tears filling her eyes, as she bit her lip to keep herself quiet; Abraham slowly rose up from the ground, blood gushing from his head, he was struggling to breathe, struggling to stay standing, "Oh shit! Look at that! Takin' it like a champ!"Negan jeered,

Abraham glowered up at his assailant, "Suck. My. Nuts."He spat,

Negan's nostrils flared in rage as he drove Lucille back down onto Abraham's skull, knocking him to the ground once again, this time...he didn't come back up. Negan continue to smash his bloodied bat down onto the old sergeant's head over and over and over again until...there was nothing left but bloodied mush and skin. Mel could feel warm bile rising up in the back of her throat, but she swallowed it down, as tears rolled down her cheeks.

Negan staggered backward, out of breath and exhausted, "D-Did you hear that?"He laughed while trying to catch his breath, "He said, suck my nuts."He continued to laugh and then went right back to smashing Lucille into the mess that was once Sgt. Abraham Ford, until the bat was soaked in blood and bits of ribboned flesh.

 _I-Is he ever going to stop...,_ Mel wondered, as Negan continued his obsessive assault on what was left of the red-headed man.

Finally, Negan ceased, laughing as he reeled away, "Look at this."He said, slinging the blood covered Lucille, which caused Abraham's blood to splatter across Rick's face. "You guys, look at my dirty girl."He said, smirking as he showing off the dripping barbed wire bat. Negan strolled over to Rosita, shoving the bloodied bat into her face, "Sweetheart...lay your eyes on this."He said. Rosita remained motionless, with tears streaming down her cheeks, her eyes were focused on the distance, Negan sighed heavily, "Oh damn, were you—were you together? That sucks. But if you were, you should know there was a reason for this."He stated, "Red—and hell, he was, is, and will ever be red. He just took one or six or seven for the team! So take...a damn look."He snapped, forcing the bat back into Rosita's face, she still refused to look, "Take a damn look!"Negan roared.

Daryl Dixon grunted in anger, springing to his feet, punching Negan right in the face, immediately, three Saviors grabbed him, forcing him to the ground. Negan swayed backward, brushing a thumb against his wounded cheek, and glared down at Daryl. "No! No!"Negan shouted angrily, as his lackeys pulled Daryl back into line. Negan shook his head laughing, "That. Oh, my! That...is a _**BIG**_ no-no. The whole thing—not one bit of that shit flies here!"He roared, "Now, I already told you, people, first one's free, then what did I say? I said I would shut that shit down! No exceptions. Now, I don't know what kind of lying assholes you've been dealing with...but, I am a man of my word. First impressions are everything and I need you to know me."Negan said, placing a hand over his heart with his free hand. Negan sighed, a smile on his lips as he tightened his grip on the baseball bat, "So...back to it."He replied, before bringing down Lucille hard and fast into Glenn's head, knocking him to the graveled ground.

Mel gasped, everyone gasped, and Maggie screamed sobbing. Like Abraham, Glenn came back up, his body twitched, he was grunting and sputtering and gasping, as he looked over towards his wife, Mel's eyes widened at the sight of him—Maggie screamed again, Negan's smack to Glenn's head had been so hard, and so powerful, that...his right eye had bulged out of it's socket, blood oozed down his face like a waterfall, and in the center of his head a large, caved in dent from where Negan had cracked his skull. A hard breath caught in Melrose's throat, as she raised a quivering hand to cover her mouth as tears poured down her face. _Jesus Christ...,_ She screamed in her head.

Negan stepped closer to Glenn who continued making sickening gurgling sounds escaped from Glenn's lips as if he were attempting to speak. Negan leaned to the side, placing himself into Glenn's line of view. "Buddy, you still in there?"He asked, softly, as those noises continued to come from his victim, "I just don't know. It seems like you're trying to speak, but you just took one _**hellll**_ of a hit! I just popped your skull so hard, your eyeball just popped out, and it is gross as shit!"Negan mocked, chuckling.

Glenn grunting and wheezed, "M-Maggie...I-I'll find you..."He struggled to speak but the words...the words were clear. And it broke Melrose's heart as she heard Maggie break down, the Survivors were either crying or just so shocked that they said or did nothing.

Negan straightened his posture and looked at each one of his prey, his expression softened, "Oh, oh, hell. I...I can see that this is hard for you guys."He replied, almost saddened, as Glenn still continued to gasp and croak, "I am sorry. I truly am, but...I did say it. No exceptions!"Negan smirked, before knocking Glenn in the head once again, he fell to the ground and Negan began his punishment—over and over and over again, he smashed Lucille into what once was Glenn's head, creating a pile of mush; blood and chunks of flesh splattered into the air with each blow. Even though, it was clear that Glenn was...no more...Negan continued smashing his bat into the pile of bloodied gloop and bone. He had become out of breath as he kept on swinging Lucille, "You...bunch of pussies. I'm just getting started."He snapped, "Lucille...is...thirsty."He breathly, before he began to laugh, as he continued to swing his bat, "She is a vampire bat."Negan laughed darkly, as he delivered one final blow to the still twitching bloodied pile that was once was Gleen Rhee. Maggie hunched over sobbing, everyone was crying, though some did not make a sound, the tears were still there, "What? Was the joke that bad?"He asked.

"I-I'm gonna kill you,"Rick said softly, but loud enough that Mel could hear what her father had threatened and from the way Negan glared over at him, he had heard it too. The leader of the Saviors walked over towards Rick and paused before him,

"What?"He snapped, as he squatted down before Rick Grimes, "I didn't quite catch that. You're gonna have to speak up."

Rick clenched his jaw and sniffled before he lifted his eyes back up, staring hard at Negan, "Not today...not tomorrow...but I'm gonna kill you."He spat.

Negan narrowed his eyes at him and smirked, "Jesus."He chuckled softly, "Simon, what did he have, a knife?"Negan inquired, glancing up at his second in command.

"Uh, he had a hatchet."

"A hatchet?"Negan repeated, arching a bushy brow.

"He had an ax."

Negan's focus moved to Rick, he snickered, "Simon's my right-hand man. Having one of those is important, I mean, what do you have left without them? A whole lot of work. Do you have one?"Negan questioned Rick, "Maybe one of these fine people still breathing? Oh...or did I just—"He paused and clicked his tongue as he swatted Lucille playfully in the air. Rick glowered at Negan and he just returned the expression, for a moment the two men said nothing and just exchanged hardened glances, finally, Negan sighed, "Sure. Yeah. Give me his ax."He demanded. Mel watched intently as that dickbag, Simon, obediently handed Negan her father's hatchet, Negan grasped the ax tightly and gave Rick one more dirty look before rising to his feet and placing the handle through his belt, securing it to his side; abruptly he grabbed Rick by the collar of his jacket and yanked him to his feet, "I'll be right back,"Negan snapped, "and maybe, Rick will be with me."

Mel watched as Negan dragged Rick with him towards the RV, Rick struggled and was trying to break away but Negan had a death grip on him; Melrose rose up on her knees, slowly outstretching a hand towards her father who was being taken away right before her eyes, her lips parted, but Rick's ice blue eyes locked onto her and he shook his head, giving her a stern look even though his eyes were full of fear. Mel bit her lip, as tears continued to roll down her cheeks, she knew that look, she had seen it many times in her childhood when she had acted unruly, Rick would flash her that stern look and she would straighten up.

"And maybe not, well, we can just turn these people inside out, won't we?"Negan hissed, as he continued to drag Rick with him, "I mean, the ones that are left."He snapped, hurling Rick into the darkness of the RV, and then he slammed the door shut.

Mel sat there trembling, as she heard the struggling roar of the RV's engine and then watched it as it vanished from view; she glanced over at her brother who was staring at her with a mirrored expression of fear, where was Negan taking their father? And...would he ever come back?

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The hours crept by, the sky was slowly getting lighter, signifying that dawn was breaking. Mel was utterly exhausted, they all were, she felt physically drained, she blinked slowly yearning for a moments rest, but...she refused. Negan was still gone with her father, Rick, _He better come back with him...Dad has to come back...,_ She thought, a single tear trickled down her cheek, a faint smile formed on her lips. She had thought she had cried every last tear that she had stored away, but she guessed she was wrong about that.

Melrose's entire body was stiff, every joint in her being ached; her knees were the sorest, staying in this kneeling position, with her knees grinding against the rough gravel beneath her, was taking a toll on her bones. She glanced over, taking in the tired faces of her brother and the rest of the Survivors, she lowered her eyes to the bloodstained ground before her, _Are...they ever coming back?_ She wondered a feeling of emptiness, dread, and complete terror filled her. She didn't know what she'd do if Negan returned without Rick, her hands turned into fists at the very thought, she knew she would retaliate in some way, and she knew if she did, she would end up just like Glenn and Abraham...and yet, she knew that she couldn't. Mel looked over at Carl, whose eye was focused on the horizon, watching for the RV, she sighed, if it did come to that, she knew she couldn't do that. She _**had**_ to stay alive for Carl. For Jase and for Judith. She had to stay alive for the rest of the Survivors.

Abruptly, the sound of the sputtering engine of the RV could be heard, bringing a sound to the deafening quiet that had surrounded them; Carl rose up onto his knees, and Mel followed suit, as they watched the RV pulling into the spot that it had been parked hours before. The engine was cut off and silence once again invaded the camp, as everyone watched and waited; finally, the door to the RV swung open, creaking, and Negan shoved Rick out of the RV, causing him to stumble to the ground. "D..."Mel began to speak but quickly swallowed her words, as she watched her father crawl onto his knees, with his hatchet returned to his possession. Negan came up behind him, yanking Rick by his jacket and dragged him along at his side, until Negan paused before the Survivors, and tossed Rick down before his own people. Mel's breath came out in hard puffs, as she looked up at her father, she could tell that Rick was tired, much like the rest of them, Abraham's blood was still splattered across his face, but new, fresh, stains of blood now were littered across the jacket he wore.

"Here we are."Negan grinned. Rick slowly rose to his knees once more, "Let me ask you something, Rick—do you even know what that little trip was about?"He asked, Rick, did not answer, which pissed Negan off, "Speak when you're spoken to!"He roared,

Rick flinched, "Okay, okay."He said softly, breathing heavily.

Mel looked at her father with worry written on her face, _Jesus, Dad, w-what did he do to?_ She asked.

"That trip was about the way you looked at me. I wanted to change that. I wanted you to understand. But you're still looking at me the same damn way! Like I shit in your scrambled eggs, and that shit isn't gonna work."Negan barked, "So...do I give you another chance?"He asked, bending down beside him, Lucille still in his grasp.

He placed the bat close to Rick's face, slowly twirling it a bit, Rick's head was lowered, but his fear filled eyes cut over to Lucille, "Yeah. Yes. Yeah."Rick chanted over and over again, in a breathy voice.

Negan chuckled, "Okay."He said, patting Rick on the back before rising to his feet. "Well all right. And here it is—the grand prize game, what you do next will decide whether your crap day becomes everyone's last crap day, or just another crap day."He replied, his dark brown eyes cut up to the dozens of Saviors that were lined behind the Survivors, "Get some guns to the back of their heads."He ordered.

Instantly the Saviors obeyed, there was a deafening cock of multiple guns and then Mel felt the barrel of a gun being placed at the back of her head. Her body immediately tensed, she swallowed hard and closed her eyes trying to remain calm. But how could anyone remain calm in this fucking situation?

"Good."Negan smirked, "Now...level it with their noses, so if you have to fire—"He paused, as he imitated an explosion, "it'll be a _**realll**_ mess."He grinned, darkly. His eyes suddenly locked onto Carl and Melrose's heart ceased beating, "Kid."Negan stated, beckoning for Carl to "come here" with his index finger, "Right here."He demanded.

Carl remained kneeling at Mel's side for a moment, she pursed her lips as she glanced over at her brother, _Fuck, Carl...just do it._ She thought, her heartbeat hammering in her chest.

"Kid...now."Negan snapped.

Carl huffed a sigh, he glanced over at his sister, who nodded her head, and then he slowly rose to his feet, shuffling his way over towards Negan. Mel released a brief sigh of relief and locked her eyes on to her brother and the leader of the Saviors. Negan began to unfasten the belt that was secured around his waist and pulled it through the belt loops of his pants, "You a southpaw?"Negan inquired, his dark eyes boring into Carl.

"Am I a what?"Carl asked,

Mel's eyes were focused on Negan and the belt in his hands, her heart still hammered within her, and her hands began to tremble as she continued to watch. "You a lefty?"Negan asked.

"No." Carl spat.

"Good."Negan smirked, inching closer towards Carl, he placed his belt around Carl's left arm and began wrapping it around and around, pulling it tighter and tighter. "That hurt?"Negan questioned.

"No." Carl spat again,

Negan's smirk widened, "Should."He said, "It's supposed to."

Mel's eyes rounded in fright as she realized what Negan's plan was, she began to breathe hard as her chest heaved up and down, as complete and utter fear rattled her to her core. "No..."She muttered.

"All right,"Negan said, satisfied with his work, "Get on the ground, kid, right next to Daddy. Spread them wings."He jeered, flicking Carl's cowboy hat off his head. Carl hesitantly obeyed and knelt on the ground beside Rick, outstretching his arms.

"Simon,"Negan called, "do you have a pen?"

Negan's right-hand man, smirked that toothy grin, "Yeah."He replied, pulling a black permanent marker from the pocket of his pants. He tossed it into Negan's direction in which the leader of the Saviors caught it.

Negan lifted the pen to his lips and yanked the cap off in between his teeth, he sqauted down at Carl's side, rolling up the sleeve of Carl's shirt and began to draw a black line across Carl's pale skin. "Sorry kid."He grunted, "This is gonna be cold as a warlock's ballsack, just like he was hanging his ballsack above ya and just _**dragggging**_ it right across the forearm."

Mel was struggling to breath, her shaking hands turned into fists, her eyes were rounded in fear and tears stung the backs of her eyes. She shook her head back and forth until she couldn't take anymore, "Wait, please!"She spoke up, rising her trembling hands in a signal of surrender.

Negan looked up over at her and slowly rose to his feet, his eyes shot back to the Savior who was holding the gun to the back of her head, with a single motion of his gloved hand, the Savior lowered his gun. Melrose slowly rose to her feet, "I-It doesn't have to be, Carl."She replied, "You can take my arm, fuck, I'll even start it for you."Mel said, her trembling hands fought to unclasp the belt that was buckled around her waist, she quickly yanked it from the belt loops and began to secure it around her left arm, tighter and tighter, until numbness began to kick in.

Negan smirked and spat the top of the marker out of his mouth, his dark brown eyes looked Mel up and down as he swaggered over to her; Mel was terrified but she stood strong, and stared up at him with her hardened ice blue eyes, her nostrils flaring. His smirk widened, "***-Damn, look at _**yooou**_ , sticking up for your little brother. _**Yooou**_ _,_ are a badass!"Negan chuckled, but abruptly that smirk vanished, "But ya see, baby doll. It's got to be little Carl here, because...I got something completely different planned for you, sweetheart."

Mel's brow furrowed, her eyes searched his for answers, "W-what...?"She mumbled,

"Get her back in line, and cut that shit off her arm."Negan snapped.

Before Melrose had time to react, two Saviors grabbed her by her arms and pulled her back into line, one of them pulled out a pocket knife and sliced her leather belt off her arm, slowly feeling came back to her limb, but the rest of her felt frozen and helpless, and empty. _What...what the shit does he mean something different planned for me?_ She wondered, feeling defeated, as she felt that barrel of the gun returning to its place, at the back of her head.

Negan inhaled deeply as he strolled back over towards Rick and Carl, he bent back down to Carl and continued drawing the line onto his flesh; Rick stared up at Negan, tears burning his eyes, "Please. Please, please, don't."Rick begged, his voice quivering.

The leader of the Saviors looked over to Rick, a sick smile on his lips, "Me?"Negan furrowed his brow, offended, a dark laugh escaped his lips. "I ain't doing _**shiiiit**_."He replied, before rising to his feet, "Ahhhh," He breathed in deeply, "Rick, I want you to take your ax...cut your son's left arm off, right on that line. Now, I know—I know. You're gonna have to process that for a second. And that makes sense. Still, though, I'm gonna need you to do it, or _**alllll**_ these people are gonna die. Then Carl dies, then the people back at home die...and then, you die, eventually. I'm gonna keep you breathing for a few years, just so you can stew on it."

Mel squeezed her eyes shut as the tears rolled down her face, she began to sob, shaking her head, as if that would change any of this. Rick sat frozen, his breath came out in labored pants, rocking back and forth on his knees, in a frantic motion.

"Y-You don't have to do this."Michonne replied, on the brink of crying, "We understand. We understand. We—"

"You understand."Negan snapped, "Yeah. I'm not sure that Rick does. I'm gonna need a clean cut right there on that black line. Now, I know, it's a screwed up thing to ask, but it's gonna have to be like a salami slice—nothing messy, clean, 45 degrees—give us something to fold over. We got a great doctor. The kid will be fine."Negan vowed, "Probably."He smirked, grimly, "Rick, this needs to happen now—chop, chop—or I will crush the little fella's skull myself."He snapped, inching Lucille close to Carl's head.

Rick began to cry, which caused Melrose to sob more, "It...it can be me! It can be me. You can do it to me. I can go with you. You can do it to me."Rick sniffled, breaking down before the leader of the Saviors.

Negan glared down at him and grabbed Rick by his dark long curls, yanking his head backward, "No! Didn't you hear what I told your baby girl, it's got to be, him, because _**I**_ want it to be him. There is no other way! Now fucking do it!"He screamed, shoving Rick's head down as he freed him from his grasp. "Pick up the ax, Rick!"He hollared, Rick trembled and grunted and cried, "Not making a decision... _ **iiisss**_ a _**BIG**_ decision! You really want these people to die? You will! You will see. Every. Ugly. Thing."Negan snapped, watching as Rick continue to break in front of him, "Oh. My. God."He groaned, "Are you gonna make me fucking count? Okay, Rick. You win. I am counting. THREE!"

"Please!"Rick begged, "Please, it can be me!"He gasped, crying.

"TWO!"

"Pleeeeassse!"Rick sobbed, "Please...don't do..."

"This is it!"Negan warned,

"Ahhhhhhhhhh!"Rick screamed, sobbing uncontrollably,

"ONE!"

Rick continued to cry, Melrose was crying just as hard, at the sounds of her father in distress, her breathing came out in ragged huffs, "Dad...just do it."Carl said softly. At those words...Melrose's heart broke into pieces; through tearstained eyes, she watched as her father, picked up his ax, he held onto Carl's hand tenderly as he raised the hatchet into the air, tears streaming down his face.

"Rick."Negan said, quickly grabbing Rick's arm before he could deliver the blow, Rick looked over at him, breathing heavily as tears washed down his face. "You answer for me. You provide for me. You belong to me. Right?"He asked, Rick quickly nodded his head over and over in a panic, "Speak when you're spoke to!"Negan yelled, grabbing Rick by the face. "You answer to me. You provide for me."

"I provide for you."Rick repeated, in obedience.

"You belong to me! Right?"Negan shouted, angrily, tightening his grip on Rick,

"Right."Rick said, softly,

"Right."Negan smiled, at the fear filled looked that was written on Rick's face, " _ **That**_. That is the look I wanted to see."He grinned, rising to his feet. "We did it...all of us, together...even the dead guys on the ground. Hell, they get the spirit award, for sure!"He said, "Today, was a productive damn day!"Negan replied, as he sauntered about in front of the Survivors, a dark, serious look formed on his face, "Now, I hope, for all your sake...that you get it now...that you understand how things work."He said, in a grim tone. "Things have changed. Whatever you had going for you...that is,"He paused, to let out a menacing chuckle, "over now."His lips curled up into crooked smile. Negan dark brown eyes shoot over to Daryl, he lifted Lucille put so that she was pointing right at him, "Dwight, load him up."Negan commanded.

Instantly, the Savior named Dwight, with the burned face, harshly grabbed Daryl by his arm and dragged him towards a black van that had it's back doors open, Daryl turned to free himself from Dwight's grasp but that just caused Dwight to yank Daryl to his feet, he grabbed him underneath his arms and hurled him into the back of the van. Mel watched on in disbelief, Daryl attempted to move and Dwight quickly brought up a crossbow, pointing it right at his captor, a hitched breath caught in Mel's throat as she realized, that Dwight was holding Daryl's own crossbow.

Negan grinned, "I like him, he's got guts—not like some little bitch, I know."He snapped, shooting a dirty look down at Rick, "He's mine now."He stated, "But you still want to try something? " _ **Not today. Not tomorrow. Not today. Not tomorrow."**_? I will cut pieces off..."He paused, looking over at Daryl, "What the hell's his name?"Negan demanded.

"Daryl."Simon informed,

He smiled, "Wow, that...that actually sounds right."Negan teased, "I will cut pieces off of Daryl, here, and put them on your doorstep—or, better yet, I will bring him to you and _**have**_ you do it for me."Negan warned, glowering down at Rick, who just nodded in understandment.

Negan smiled and glanced up and his eyes locked onto Melrose, he cleared his throat, "Also, I'm taking your daughter with me."

At those words, Mel completely froze, had she...heard him right? She looked up, ignoring Negan entirely and focused on her father and brother, whose faces bore the same expression as hers—fear—suddenly, two Saviors grabbed her by her arms, forcing her to her feet, their grips were like iron but she still attempted to free herself. "No! Let go of me! Get the fuck off me!"She screamed,

Negan smiled and laughed, "She is a little pistol, damn, I love it."He grinned, "I like her, Rick, I like her a lot."

Melrose began pulling in the opposite direction that her captors were dragging her in. Her heart hammered in her chest, so hard, that for a moment she thought that it might explode, her breathing was labored as she screamed and protested. Her eyes full of tears and frantic, locked onto Rick, "Dad! Dad!"She screamed, sobbing, as they tossed her into the back of another black van. She rolled up onto her knees, inching towards the opened doors, gazing out, her eyes still focused on her father, who was breaking down crying.

"Mel! No! Please..."Rick begged, attempting to stand but Negan shoved him back down, hard onto the ground.

"Tsk. Tsk."Negan snapped, wagging a finger in Rick's face, "No. No, Rick. She belongs to me now. I _**like**_ her, and don't worry, I'm going to take _**real**_ , _**good**_ , care of her. I'm only taking her as extra leverage, now ya see, I have no problem with whacking pieces off of Daryl, there, but her, now, I would hate to have to do that to her. It would be a real shame, because let's be real, your daughter, is hot as _**helll**_."Negan smirked, but a darkness covered his face, "But, if you continue on with that fucking attitude, I will do it, just to get my point across to you. I'd hate to do it. I really would...so don't make me, Rick."Negan said, giving him a hard pat on the shoulder.

Mel was struggling to breathe, she couldn't believe what was happening. Negan swaggered before the remaining Surviors, that coprophagous grin formed on his lips. "Ahhh!"He inhaled deeply, "Welcome to a brand new beginning, you sorry shits!"Negan yelled, "I'm gonna leave you a truck. Keep it. Use it to cart all the crap you're gonna find me. We'll be back for our first offering in one week. Until then ta-ta."He said, with a singal of his gloved hand, the van doors closed. Sealing Melrose inside, in complete and utter darkness.

She scurried towards the metal doors, pounding on them, "No! No! Let me out!"She screamed, trembling, on the brink of hyperventilating. Mel looked about the van, trying to find some form of light, but failed, her breathing became harder, as her now sore fists slide down the doors. Darkness. Melrose was terrified of the dark, she always had been ever since she was a little girl; she raised a shaky hand to her neck, until she found the golden 'M' charm of her necklace, giving it a little rub, in an attempt to soothe her. The van suddenly jerked to life and sent it Mel, bouncing along as they began to drive away; away from her father, away from her brother, away from everything she knew and everything she loved. _Jase...,_ She cried in her mind, she would never see him again, never feel his embrace, never kiss him again, her heart ached at the thought. Tears streamed down her cheeks, her hands suddenly turned into fists as glared up into the darkness, her nostrils flared; frantically she retreieved the knife that was hidden in her boot and gripped it in her hand. She did not know how long they had to travel, but she did know one thing—that when those doors opened—she was putting up a hell of a fight.


	2. The Sanctuary

**Like I said, I'm writing this just to write~ So if you enjoy this, then please leave a review! Thanks for reading :)**

* * *

Chapter 2: The Sanctuary

Melrose Grimes had no comprehension of how much time had passed, as the van continued to bump along the road, all she knew is that it was hot as hell in the back of this van, she was sore and exhausted, pissed off, scared, and thirsty as fuck. She licked her lips, her mouth was so dry, but she could ignore that for a few more moments; Mel sat ready to pounce, her eyes focused on the door, waiting for the instant that they would open, she gripped the knife in her hand, tighter. Sweat trickled down her neck and forehead, her long dark brunette hair was clinging to her moistened flesh; her clothes continued to stick to her body uncomfortably, _Fuck, I'd kill for a shower and some water._ , She thought.

Suddenly, Mel was lunged forward—the van had stopped—her heart began to pound as adrenaline coursed throughout her being, she steadied herself once more, knife ready in hand, waiting for the moment, streams of sunlight would flood into the darkness...

She sat, listening, her nostrils flaring as she breathed in and out; she could hear the driver and passenger side doors of the vehicle, slamming shut, and then the sound of booted footsteps crunching against gravel. Mel could hear murmuring voices, it sounded as if they were right in front of the doors that enclosed her from the outside world; as quietly as she could, she inched herself closer towards the metal doors— _Creak_ —the rusting metal latch of the van's doors called out, and slowly a breach of yellow sunlight slivered through the crack of the opening doors, Melrose instantly charged through the doors, forcing them open and leaping out, her eyes spotted three Saviors, large men, she grunted, plunging her knife into the neck of the first one, she quickly yanked it out, blood began spurting from the man's neck like a water fountain of red; _Two left._ She thought, as one of them raced towards her, she spun around slicing, deep into his forearm, _Good enough._ Mel began to run, to where...she didn't know, she just wanted to get away, she realized that she was now in a large, confined courtyard, blocked by a never ending chain linked fence; as she ran her eyes moved upward to see the enormous towering building that she assumed was the Saviors home, their community. She could tell that before the world had gone to shit and was crawling with Walkers, that this place had been a factory; she continued running, breathing harder now, until out of the corner of her eye she spotted a black truck speeding towards her. Mel skidded to a stop and quickly spun around, but was clothesline by one of the Saviors who had been chasing her; she gasped as the wind was knocked out her, she turned on her to stomach trying to crawl away, reaching for the knife that she had dropped, but the Savior with the injured forearm had joined his friend. The one had her pinned down with all of his weight crushing her, while the injured one, grabbed a fist full of her hair and yanked her head back which caused her to yelp. Mel glared still struggling to reach the knife when finally her fingertips brushed the handle and she gripped onto it tightly; the truck had screeched to a stop before the pile of them, and out stepped Negan, with Lucille perched against his shoulder.

The leader of the Saviors swaggered towards the restrained Melrose, he stared down at her smirking, his dark brown eyes noticed the knife, clutched in her hand, his smirk widened as he placed a booted foot onto her fists, twisting his heel in her bone; she winced, but refused to let go, which caused Negan to add more pressure, until finally...she released the knife.

"Good girl."Negan grinned darkly, he nodded his head, "Set her up."He told his goons, to which they obeyed. The two Saviors yanked her to a kneeling position but still had their iron like hands forcing her arms back behind her back; Mel glowered at Negan as he squated before her, anger was boiling in her blood. "Now, I know we started off on the wrong foot and all, but I would like for us to start out on a fresh, clean slate."He said, picking up her knife, it was clearly now in his possession.

"She fucking just killed Blane."One of the Saviors spat, "She cut my fucking arm open! She deserves to die, I can do it for you, Negan."He hissed, yanking her head back by her hair.

Mel's lips formed a purse line as she breathed raggedly, Negan looked up at his lackey, he stroked the salt and pepper stubble that lined his jawline and narrowed his dark eyes at his man. "No. I don't think you fucking will, I thought I made it _**fucking**_ clear, that she is my leverage, now, tell me why, Mike, would I kill my fucking leverage?"He spat, enraged. "Plus, she's hot as hell! Now...killing her, that would be a real fucking shame. Let go of her hair, ass."

The hurt Savior named Mike slowly released Mel's hair from his grip, "I'm sorry about that, sweetheart, now, since you and I are clearly going to be spending some quality time together, well, I'm gonna need to know your name, since you know mine. So, what is it? Huh? What is your name, baby doll?"Negan asked, a crooked smile curled up on his lips.

Melrose glowered at him and spat in his face, "Go to hell."She hissed.

Negan chuckled as he wiped her saliva from his face, "Damn, you got them same baby blues that Old Papa Rick has, and ya know...you are giving me that same, damn look."He said, through gritted teeth. "I'm trying to be a gentlemen here, honey, I don't think I asked for too fucking much,"Negan snapped, grabbing a hold of Mel's face so that she was forced to meet his gaze, "all I want to know is your name...now tell me your ***damn name!"He barked, his fingertips were drilling into cheekbones, she narrowed her eyes at him as she winced, but remained silent, "Daddy Rick was calling out 'Mel', now I'm guessing that's short for something, right?"Negan asked, arching a brow, as his grip tightened.

"Y-Yeah."Mel said,

Negan smirked, "Yeah, so what is it?"He asked, softly, removing his hand from her face,

"Melrose."

His smirk widened, "Melrose,"Negan repeated, "pretty name. You got a middle name to go with that?"

Mel stared at him with a furrowed brow, "What the hell does it matter?"She snapped,

"Like I said, you and I are going to be spending _**a lot**_ of time together, so, I want to get to know you, Melrose."Negan replied,

"Fine...it's Victoria."She spat, rolling her eyes. Mel despised her middle name, " _Melrose Victoria'_ , it was just a fucking mouth full,

"Melrose Victoria, now that's just fucking beautiful."Negan smiled, teasingly, "Was your mama some sort of English scholar?"

Melrose gritted her teeth and flashed him a glare as she scoffed, Negan raised his eyesbrows, making a shocked expression, "Ooooh, so mama is a touchy subject, huh?"He said, "So how old are you, Melrose?"He asked,

She remained silent, which clearly pissed him off, "I said how old are you?"He repeated, inching the bloodied Lucille beside her face.

Melrose jerked her head away, trembling, the bat was still covered in Glenn and Abraham's blood, chunks of their flesh still clung to the metal barbs. She closed her eyes, "Twenty-three."She said, softly.

"Good, good age."Negan smiled, as he swung Lucille back against his shoulder,

"Now...will you tell these pricks to let go of me? I'm not gonna try anything else, you have my fucking knife."Mel snapped, struggling against her captors grasp.

Negan's smirk widened, his eyes shot up to his goons, "You heard the lady."He said, giving them a hardened look.

Immediately, they released her, Melrose slowly rose to her feet, brushing herself off, "Now, why don't I show you around, Melrose, you and I have a lot to talk about, ya see baby doll, I've got a proposition for you."Negan said, as he began to encircle her as if he were a vulture,

"A proposition?"Mel repeated, arching a brow.

"Yeah,"Negan grinned, "and not gonna lie, but it's pretty fucking sweet."

She clenched her jaw, Mel glanced about noticing that the black van that carried Daryl Dixon away was nowhere to be found, a sudden emptiness filled her stomach. "Where's Daryl?"Mel asked.

Negan's lips formed a purse line, "That, my dear, is none of your concern, ya see, Daryl is gonna have his very own proposition, and if he refuses...well, sucks to be him, but you on the other hand, are in a much better position."He grinned, staring down at her.

Being this close to him now, Melrose realized how tall Negan was, he easily towered over her five foot and three inches, he had to be at least six foot, his arms were well toned and his leather jacket fitted them nicely. She lowered her gaze, as Negan wrapped an arm around her shoulders, leaning into her, "Drew, make sure to stab Blane in the head so he doesn't come back, lumbering around, and Mike get the fuck to Doctor Carson so he can patch up your boo-boo."Negan said, "I am showing our special guest around the premises."He grinned, swaggering away, which launched Melrose forward, forcing her to walk with him. Her boots scuffed against the gravel as she stumbled, attached to Negan's side. Melrose's eyes followed the chain linked fence which seemed to have no end, until she realized that there were two layers of fence; there was the fence which was securing this large opened area and then there was another surrounding the entire factory. She realized he was leading them towards a large chain linked gate, this part of the fences were littered with prickling barbed wire about the tops; multiple chains with large metal locks were wrapped about the posts. There was a lanky, tall white man with blazing red hair which reminded Mel of Abraham, she swallowed hard as she lowered her eyes to the chalky white gravel beneath her feet. They paused before the gate, waiting for the man to give them entrance, "Can you make it today, Red?" Negan sighed,

"Y-Yes Negan, I'm sorry."The man stammered, fumbling with the ring of keys and many locks, finally he successfully unlocked them all and pulled back the gate, allowing them access to the Sanctuary.

Mel narrowed her eyes up at Negan as he pushed her along beside him, she shrugged his massive arm off of her shoulder and began to move away from him, but Negan quickly grabbed her by her arm, yanking her back to him, "Ooh wee, baby doll, where do you think you're going?"He smirked, as he squeezed the meat above her elbow harshly,

Melrose glared up at him, "I'm not going anywhere, I can walk on my fucking own, I don't need to you to parade me around like some fucking show pony."She snapped.

Negan's smirk widened as he chuckled, "Damn, Old Papa Rick, did a mighty fine job on you, Melrose, you're not scared of shit."He taunted, releasing her from his grasp. "Stay close, baby doll, some of my guys can't help themselves around a pretty lady,"He abruptly paused and turned to face her, "if any of them touches you, and you don't give them permission, you tell me."His whole demeanor changed as he uttered that sentence, a dark shadow seemed to cover his face, as a serious gleam shone in his dark brown eyes, "Got it?"

"Yeah."She muttered,

The serious tone only lasted a brief moment, Negan smirked down at her, turned on his heels and outstretched his arms, slinging Lucille with him, "Welcome to the Sanctuary, Melrose Grimes, this is your new home."Negan bellowed.

Melrose closed her eyes and sighed as she followed behind him, the fastening of the metal locks seemed to echo within her ears. There was no going back now. She was expecting Negan to take her in through the front of the overlooking factory, but he turned, leading her around the side of the building. Melrose looked up, now that she was within the gates of the Saviors compound she could get a better look at the size of the place, it was enormous, compared to the Alexandria Safe-Zone. They finally reached the other side and she was taken aback by the sudden greenery, a vast and lush garden lined the entire left side of the compound, she saw bright red, large tomatoes, rows of carrots and potatoes, lettuce and cabbage and to her surprise she saw actual chickens roaming about, while others were roosting within the small wooden chicken coops. Melrose paused, watching as a group of men and women were collecting some of the vegetables, placing them into large wicker baskets, while some were gathering eggs from the coops. "Holy shit."She mumbled, under her breath.

"What? You don't have a garden back at Alexandria?"Negan inquired,

"No, we do, but to be honest...it's nothing like this. And we definitely don't have chickens."Melrose admitted. She tried to remember the last time she saw a chicken, but failed.

"Well, we have a little bit of everything here, Melrose, I take care of my people."Negan replied, "As long as they follow the rules and do their fair share of work, life is easy, my friend."He began walking once again and she followed behind him,

"Rules? Work? Well, sounds like you have your own little world here, huh." Melrose said. "So what happens if someone breaks the rules? Or doesn't work?"

Negan smirked, "Well then, if someone doesn't work, they don't earn points, therefore, they don't eat, they don't drink, they don't own shit! And if some dumbass doesn't follow my rules, which are very simple, then they will have to deal with corporal punishment, but that depends on which rule they fucking break."

A sudden chill shivered down Mel's spine, _Damn...,_ She thought, realizing how powerful, how in control Negan really was. He _**owned**_ the people in here and on the outside. He _**owned**_ everything. "You have a point system? So what, do the points act as money?"Melrose inquired.

"That they do, baby doll."Negan replied,

"Wow,"She said under her breath, "this place is something else."

"Oh you haven't seen anything yet, Melrosy,"Negan said, flashing a smile back at her, "in fact, I think I'll show you the Marketplace next."

Melrose arched a brow, "A marketplace? Are you fucking serious?"She asked,

Negan laughed, "I am as fucking serious as it gets, baby doll."He said, "If you see anything you like, you just take it."

Melrose's brow furrowed, "What about your points? I clearly haven't done anything to earn any points, so wouldn't that be...stealing? Or are you saying that, since I'm with you, the rules are out the fucking window? Seems pretty arrogant for a leader to not follow his own rules, won't that cause some friction in your little system?"She asked.

Negan paused and began to laugh, he turned around facing her, clicking his tongue as he looked her up and down, "***-Damn, you...you have one fucking sarcastic mouth on you, baby doll," He leaned over, his face just inches away from her own, "and that is going to get you in some trouble someday."He whispered, she narrowed her eyes at him, to which he just smirked, "You best be glad, I like 'em feisty."He said, his smile widening, while his dark brown eyes sparkled with sexual desire.

Melrose cut her eyes up at him, she clenched her jaw as she stared hard at him; Negan's grin widened, as he snickered, he raised his gloved hand and gripped the end of her chin, "Damn, Melrose, Melrose,...those big ol' baby blues could fucking kill a man."

She shoved his hand away, refusing to meet his gaze again, Negan just laughed and then turned on his heels, using his baseball bat as if it were a cane. Melrose rolled her eyes and followed behind him, for what else could she do?

* * *

Negan led her towards the rear of the compound, he turned to the right side of the building, towards a set of large, metal double doors, the once gray paint was slowly chipping away, to leave the metal of the doors, exposed to the elements. Negan forced open the doors which swung inward, slamming against the walls of the inside, Melrose followed him inside; her eyes widened at the sight of the so called "Marketplace", she could tell that this was only a small part of the enormous building, and she could tell that this once was part of the factory's lower level. The entire spacious room was filled with tables and booths, piled with everything you could imagine: some had stacks of clothing, while others were loaded down with books, DVDs, CDs, and other electronics; Melrose spotted at one booth a woman was preparing and kneeding a large dough of homemade bread, some loaves of bread had already been baked and were ready for purchase, another booth nearby which seemed to be ran by an older African-American man, had jars of various sizes, which were filled with homemade pickles, jams, and salsas. People filled the area, whether they were buying or in charge of a booth, a clamorous chatter filled the air; for a moment, Melrose's heart sank into her belly, as she looked here and there, people were everyone, men, women, and even kids. The Saviors had more numbers than they had ever realized, and something told her, that this...wasn't even the half of them. Her eyes lowered to the floor, _We didn't even put a dent in their numbers...,_ She realized, then that her and the Survivors blowing up those outposts, hadn't hurt the Saviors at all...

"Holy crap,"Melrose muttered, shaking her darkened thoughts away,

Negan smirked as he walked up beside her, placing a hand onto her shoulder, "Pretty sweet, huh? Go on, feel free to look around, baby doll."He said, giving her a gentle shove, Melrose shot him a dirty look, but was thankful to get out from under his thumb, even for just a moment.

Melrose made her way down the first row of tables, her eyes glancing over the items that each one carried: she passed tables that had knick-knacks and various items from hair brushes to scissors, to colorful pens and pencils, one table had children's stuffed animals which caused her throat to tighten as she thought of Judith. She closed her eyes and moved on, when suddenly she glanced over at a booth and noticed a large, leather bound book; Melrose strolled over to the table, and read the chipped, golden foil letters printed onto the tome's cover: The Complete Works of Edgar Allen Poe. The author of old, known for his tales of mystery and the macabre, was one of her favorites, tenderly, Melrose picked up the book and turned it over to see in which order his works were in within the pages.

"Hey!"A croaky voice rasped, before going into a hacking fit,

Melrose looked up, to see the owner of the booth, a wrinkly old woman who truly looked like a witch from a fairytale, glared at her, "You better be payin' for that."The old woman snapped, before spitting a wad of mucus onto the floor.

"Sorry...I was just looking."Melrose replied, placing the book back down onto the table.

"I don't accept browsers."The old woman hissed, narrowing her already squinty eyes at her.

"Again, I'm sorry, ma'am, I didn't know."She said, backing away from the hag's table, when suddenly she bumped into someone behind her. Melrose quickly turned around to see that it was Negan, he grinned down at her and then grabbed her by her elbow, hauling her back towards the old woman's booth.

"Maybelle, Maybelle,"Negan grinned, at the old woman whose appearance completely changed, "is there a problem here?"He asked, arching a bushy brow at the elderly woman.

"I-I was just telling this girly here, that..that I don't want no window shoppers..."The old lady stammered, "N-Negan, sir."She quickly added.

"Hmm, is that so."Negan said, "Well, you may not know this, Maybelle, dear, but this, is Melrose, and she...she is a very _**special**_ guest of mine, and if she wants this book here, then just put it on my tab. Okay?"He replied, he narrowed his eyes at her, but yet a crooked grin formed on his lips.

Melrose felt a bit sorry for the old woman, who gulped and nodded, "Y-Yes, of course, Negan sir."She said, her wrinkled, trembling hands, picked up the book and she held it out towards Melrose, "Here...e-enjoy."She said, forcing a smile which revealed just a few yellow jagged teeth.

Mel tried to smile back as she took the book from the woman's leathery hands, "Thank you."She said.

"Anything else you want, baby doll?"Negan asked, looking down at her.

"No. And you didn't have to do that, it wasn't a big deal."She replied, as they walked down the remaining aisles of the Marketplace.

He smirked, "I told you anything you want, you take it. I am paying after all."

She rolled her eyes, "Mhm. Thanks but no thanks, this is fine."Mel said, clutching the book in her arms.

"So you like to read, huh?"

"Yeah."She said, briefly. Melrose had always enjoyed reading, even as a child, she enjoyed opening up a book and losing herself within the pages, letting her imagination transport her to other worlds. And since she was _**here**_ now, being held against her will, well, she knew she needed something to lose herself in. She looked up to see that Negan was leading her towards a lone metal door in the corner of the spacious room, "Where are you taking me now?"Mel asked, as he yanked the door open, holding it for her to enter first.

"You'll see."Was all he said,

Melrose stared hard at him for a second and then finally walked past him, she entered a small corridor with blackened stairs, she craned her neck up seeing that the stairwell coiled up to unknown height. "Where do these stairs go?"She asked, looking back at Negan who let the door slam shut, which echoed within the stairwell.

He smiled, perching Lucille on his shoulder, as he stomped up the first few steps, "Oh, just to one of my favorite places of the Sanctuary, the upper levels allow you to over look the whole compound,"Negan breathed in deeply and smirked, glancing back at her, as she followed him up the stairs, "feels good to gaze upon one's hard work from a bird's eye view. Makes me feel like a big ol' fucking bird, overlooking all the smaller birds."He replied, with a dark laugh.

Melrose rolled her eyes, "Must make you feel like a king, huh?"She said, snidely.

Negan let out a long breathy, sinister laugh, "Baby doll, I just rule the roost, anyone who follows my rules and works for me, will live like a fucking king."He said, smirking.

"Is that so? Is that how you bribe everyone to join you?"She asked, passing him and climbing up the next few steps.

Negan reached up and grabbed her arm, yanking her backwards, a gasp caught in her throat as she lost her footing and was dragged down to the step on which Negan was standing, he narrowed his eyes at her, "Oooh, Melrose, there is no fucking bribe. It's a fucking promise."His lips curled into a crooked grin, "Once you've been here long enough, you'll see, and if you accept my proposition, oh, then you will _**reallly**_ fucking see."

Her heart pounded in her chest, as he stared at her with a dark gleam in his, finally he released her and shoved past her, Melrose closed her eyes and released the breath she was holding, she clutched her book close to her chest, and then forced herself to follow him behind.

Melrose wasn't sure how many flights of stairs that they had ascended, but her legs and joints began to ache. She sighed under her breath, wondering if these staircase even had an end; at each new landing was a metal door which lead to another level of the building, a tiny window was in the middle of each door, Melrose paused at one and peered inside to see hallways lined with doors and bright hanging lights from the ceilings. She assumed these lead to the living quarters of the Saviors, she unglued herself from the landing and hurried up the steps, catching up with Negan; at last, they reached the top, which was yet another metal door that lead to a large cement balcony, flaking yellow painted rails secured the edges of the balcony, Negan strolled out into the sunlight and turned around grinning, propping his elbows onto the railing. Melrose walked out, joining him at his side and overlooked the ground, they were at least five, if not six stories high, from here you could see everything: the lush gardens, the large fences, she glanced over to the right to see another fenced in area, there were dirty looking men in gray baggy sweatsuits, each had a letter of the alphabet spray painted onto their clothing in bright orange paint. The men rushed about, moving growling and hissing pieces of Walkers securing them to the other fences; she raised a brow in suspicion.

"What are they doing?"She asked, looking over at him.

Negan raised his brows and glanced over his shoulder, "Oh my little free laborers?"He inquired, "Well, they are using those sorry sacks of shit as extra protection from all the riff raff."

Melrose smirked and looked back to the men running about and the Walkers that were now trapped onto the fences, "Wow...that's actually pretty smart."She admitted. The more she watched them, the more it suddenly dawned on her, these men...were somehow different from the Saviors she had come in contact with; these men were dressed completely different and were...labeled. _They must be low on the food chain here,_ She thought. "So...is this where Daryl is going?"She questioned.

Negan rolled his head over to look at her, and gave her a warning look, "I thought I said he was none of your concern."He snapped, "What...are you engaged to the guy?"He asked, his dark brown eyes cutting to the diamond engagement ring on her finger.

Melrose scoffed. "No...he's like a brother to me."She said,

" _ **Buuuut**_ , you are promised to someone? That's a mighty pretty ring on that finger, tell me, was it one of the ones that I,"Negan paused, smirking, and slammed Lucille against the railing.

She took a step backward and stared at him in disbelief, she shook the expression away and narrowed her eyes at him. "No. Jase wasn't there."She spat, _You better be glad too...,_ She thought.

Negan rubbed his chin in thought, "Oh, so lover boy is back home in Alexandria, huh?"He smirked. Melrose didn't answer and moved her gaze back to the men in gray suits down below. Negan clicked his tongue in annoyance, "Fine, you ain't gotta answer,"He said, before nodding his head towards the door, "Come on, Melrosy, I got one more place to show you before we settle down and talk."He smiled darkly, as he turned back towards the door.

Melrose gave those men one last look, and then moved away from the railing and following behind Negan.

* * *

The two descended down the first flight of stairs, Negan paused at the second landing and forced open the door, holding it open for Melrose, he bowed tauntingly, Melrose rolled her eyes and entered the hallway, this was considered the "top" floor, since the highest level lead out to an open area. Negan walked past her and she trailed behind him, there were doors on both sides of hall, to which they passed the first set of five, he scuffed his boots across the floor as he paused before a dark wooden door, a huge smirk spread across his face as he tapped Lucille against the door- _Knock, knock, knock-_ and then he turned the knob and forced it open, " _ **Helllo**_ ladies."He smiled, that coprophagous grin. Melrose entered the room behind him and looked about the highly expensive decorated room to see about twenty to thirty women ranging from Negan's age to her own age, to a little older than herself. Her brow furrowed as she gazed upon these beautiful women who were all dressed in black, tight fitting dresses, like those men in the gray baggy suits with letters sprayed upon their chests, these women were clearly labeled, as well. These black dresses _**meant**_ something. These women wore thick, glamorous makeup and black, shiny stiletto heels and jewelry; this was a large opened room which had door to the left and right leading to places unknown to her, in one corner of the room was an open bar, with various shot glasses and alcohol ranging from brandy, to vodka, to whiskey.

"Ladies, this is Melrose Grimes,"Negan smirked, "she is my _**very special**_ guest."He introduced.

The women muttered 'hellos' and other greetings, Melrose shook her head, her lips formed a purse line, "Um...hi."She said, confused.

Negan looked over at her and smiled, "Melrose, these lovely ladies are my wives.

She stood frozen and speechless for a moment, "I-I'm sorry, did you just say...wives?"She asked, raising an eyebrow.

Negan's smile widened, "Indeed, I most certainly did."

Melrose scoffed, "You've got to be fucking kidding me."She snapped, "What...what am I even doing here?"She demanded.

"Well, I came to get me a fucking drink,"Negan replied, as he sauntered over to the open door in the corner of the room, he picked his glass and choice of poison and began to pour, "and I figured, that my lovely and kind and giving wives, could help you pick out a set of fresh clothes, and...maybe a dress for _**later**_."He smirked, looking her up and down.

Melrose narrowed her eyes at him, her fingernails dug into the cover of her book harshly. "Tammy, Lily, why don't you help, Melrose pick out something, while I enjoy my drink."Negan said.

Melrose watched as two of the women rose from their seats on the black and golden, antique Victorian styled sofa, and stepped forward; the first was a beautiful beach bottle blonde, with dark green eyes and long lashes, her hair was worn in long spiral curls that spilled down her back. She had fair skin, with pale freckles, here and there on her arms; the dress she wore was a black halter top type with a tight little skirt, that was hiked up from her lounging about. She was skinnier than the second girl, who was just as beautiful; the second woman was a gorgeous Asian woman, with lightly tanned skin, she had dark chocolate eyes with think lashes. Her long, pencil straight ebony hair was piled onto her head in a messy, yet elegant bun, her black dress was a sleeveless style with a turtleneck, neckline. Both women appeared to be a few years older than Melrose, herself, and both women smiled at her remorsefully, with red and rose colored lips and glistening white teeth. The blonde strolled up and linked arms with Melrose, "Come on sweetie, we'll pick you out something nice."She grinned.

Melrose glanced over at her, as the two women began leading her out of the room, "Umm..thanks."She muttered. She wasn't really sure what else to say, these women all seemed kind but...something just felt off, in their eyes you could see a void filled with sorrow and darkness. Once the dark-haired woman shut the door behind them, sealing them into what looked to be a giant bedroom, Melrose, huffed a sigh of relief for being out of Negan's sight. "How can you put up with _**that**_?"She asked.

"Oh, he's not...that bad."The blonde replied, crossing the room, pausing before a large wardrobe that had its doors hanging opened, inside Melrose could see numerous dresses of different styles, all in the shade of black. The woman bent down to the lower drawers and began rummaging through piles of colored clothes that seemed to had been forgotten.

"There's no way that all of you agreed to become his wives, right?"Melrose said, a bit harshly, "He had to have forced you."

"Actually, he didn't."The dark haired woman answered as she perched herself on the edge of the ginormous bed that took up most of the room, piles of silken pillows and silk blankets covered the bed and spilled down to the floor, like streams of colorful ink. "Negan gave us the choice and...we accepted."She said, "I am Lily, by the way, and that is Tammy."She introduced.

Melrose nodded and feigned a smile that quickly vanished, "You're telling me that _**all**_ of you willingly agreed to this?"She stated, stunned.

Tammy sighed and ceased sorting through the clothes, "You're new here, honey, you don't know how things work here...we all have our reasons. My little brother needs medicine, and that...is hard to scavenge, so it costs more points...I-I couldn't afford it even with all the work that I did...so I left my boyfriend and brother and married Negan, and now, he's taking care of my little brother, making sure he has his meds."She replied, she turned around to Melrose and smiled faintly, her green eyes filled with sadness.

It felt as if someone had punched Melrose right in the gut, she suddenly felt empty and ashamed, "I-I'm so sorry...I shouldn't have said anything...I am so sorry."She said, softly.

"Hey, it's okay, no harm done."Lily replied,

"So, what size shirt are you, honey?"Tammy asked, breaking the silence,

"Um, just give me a large, I don't like my clothes being too tight."She informed.

"Well, you might have to get used to that,"Lily said,

Melrose glanced over at her and furrowed her brow, Lily turned away and Melrose pretended that she hadn't heard her, as an uneasy feeling began to flow through her. Tammy gathered a white t-shirt, a pair of jeans and some black matching undergarments, "Here, these should fit you, and if they don't just bring them back and we can find you something else. If they do, feel free to keep them, we don't...really have the use for these types of clothes anymore."

Melrose took them from her and smiled faintly, "Thanks."She said, "Uh..you don't really think I'll need a...dress, right?"She asked, in a shaky tone.

"You don't have to pick one now, you can always come back later if Negan...well, makes you one of us, we have plenty that you can pick from."Tammy said, in an uncanny cheerful voice.

Melrose gulped, "Do you...,"She paused, hanging her head down in defeat as she sighed, "do you think he's going to?"

Tammy and Lily exchanged an apologetic look, before Lily walked over to Melrose and placed a comforting hand onto her shoulder, "Honestly Melrose, I do...we've gotten to know Negan over the years, the way he looks at you...he's completely infatuated with you."She said.

Melrose released a trembling breath, "Oh shit..."She cursed. Her mind began to race, this...this **HAD** to be the proposition Negan had been going on about. She closed her eyes, she could feel her throat contracting, and unshed tears stinging the backs of her eyes, she swallowed hard and refused to cry in front of these women that she had just met. She sighed and turned back towards the door, "Thanks for the clothes, and...it was nice to meet you."She said, rather quickly. Melrose was tired of waiting, now that she was piecing things together about the unspoken proposal Negan was mentioning here and there; she was growing tired of him fucking her around.

Melrose forced the door open and reentered the room to find Negan stretched out on the couch, now enjoying a beer from a dark colored bottle, two of his many wives were sitting beside him as he grinned, clearly relishing in the sick perks of _**HIS**_ world. He glanced over at her and smirked, sitting up so he propped his elbows on his knees, "Did my dear wives, get you all squared away?"He asked, grinning.

"Yeah."She spat.

Negan chugged the rest of his beer and released a long and exaggerated " _Ahhhhhh,"_ before saying, "Good. Come on, we got one more little stop to make—"

"How many more fucking stops are we going to make?"Melrose snapped, she clenched her jaw in anger as Negan peered over at her, clearly not amused at her outburst. He slowly walked over to her and stared down at her, in a hard manner, she looked up at him, returning his expression, "You keep talking about a proposition, so why don't you just fucking tell me what the fuck it is, and stop jerking me around."

Negan smirked, clicking his tongue before he released a low, dark, chuckle, "That, my dear, will come when I fucking want it to."He grinned grimly, "Here, I am tryin' to be a ***-Damn, gentlemen, _**you**_ , Melrose,...have had a one _**hellll**_ of a _**day**_ , so I buy you a book, I let my wives give you some fresh clean clothes and...the next thing I am going to let you have is a nice, hot shower...so, I will fucking go over my proposition then."Negan snapped, "Is that alright with you?"He asked, through gritted teeth.

Melrose narrowed her eyes at him, "Fine."She hissed, she wasn't going to admit to him but at the mention of a shower, she was truly grateful. She longed to rid herself of these sticky, dirty clothes and have hot, steaming water pour over her grimy feeling skin.

Negan's smile widened, "I thought so, baby doll."He said, raising his gloved handed to her face and gently patting her on her left cheek before he turned on his heels and tromped towards the door.

* * *

Once they left the den of Negan's wives, they reached the end of the hallway and took a turn to the right, which led to another hallway lined with doors, which they continued past. Melrose spotted that at the end of the hall were what appeared to be the factories' old locker rooms and shower rooms, that were across from each other, there was a sign on the left and right walls, in faded letters, the left read: **Women's** , while the right was labeled: **Men's**. Negan turned to the left, slinging Lucille, as he began to whistle that ominous tone, which echoed within the room; Melrose entered behind him to find that all the lockers that had once filled the room were completely stripped away, leaving behind nothing but the outlined rust stains that marked the wall, indicating of what once was; on the wooden benches sat numerous piles of fluffy white towels and wash clothes, there were various bottles of shampoos and soaps which lined the counter tops that came out of the walls before a large, cracked mirror. This room led to a larger room which was made of gray tile from ceiling to floor, in the midst of the room was a large white antique claw-foot bathtub; there was a lone, porcelain sink against the wall, a small mirror was secured above it. Negan turned around, and outstretched his arms, "Well," He smiled, "you just feel free to use whatever you need, whatever you want, Melrose."

Melrose looked around the room and glanced back at the entrance way, there was no door, it was completely open, meaning anyone, could enter, whether they were female or not. She bit her bottom lip as a wave of uneasiness washed over her, the men that formed the Saviors, she did not trust them. Negan followed her gaze and then looked back at her, as he closed the distance between them, "Hey, no one is going to be on this floor, you will have complete privacy; I got everyone scheduled on jobs right now, leaving this floor, empty."He reassured as if he could read her mind, he bent down, leaning towards her, "And...if anyone happens to be sneaking about, believe me, baby doll, they are gonna _**wish**_ that they hadn't."Negan said, in a hushed tone, "So, you take as long as you want, and I will be back to retrieve you, in a bit, so we can go over my little proposition."He said with a dark smile and a wink.

"Yeah, okay."Melrose replied, Negan began to make his leave, she glanced over her shoulder, watching him, "Negan,"She said,

He stopped in his tracks and rolled his head over at her, "Yes?"He inquired, arching a bushy brow.

"Thank you..."She muttered, already regretting the words spewing from her lips.

Negan smirked, "You are most certainly, welcome, Melrose Grimes."He said, before turning on his heels, he began whistling that same grim tune before making his leave, the echo of that whistle, lingering in the air. Melrose waited until she was certain that Negan was long gone, and then released a sigh. She walked towards the sink and laid her new clothes across the sink, and sat her book down on the counter. She turned around and gathered a towel and washcloth; Melrose glanced through the variety of shampoos and finally, decided on one that claimed to smell of rose water, she snatched up the first bar of soap that she saw, not particularly caring what scent it had, as long as it cleaned away the dirt and grime. The bar she had selected was a pale purple hue, Melrose raised it her nose and inhaled, catching the faint scent of lavender; she selected a matching bottle of bubble bath to go along with it.

She glanced behind her, seeing that she was indeed all alone here in this vast room; she tugged her boots off and removed her socks, Melrose wrinkled her nose as she pulled off her sweaty socks, _Thank fuck Negan is allowing me to shower...,_ She thought, gratefully, tossing her soiled socks to the floor. She could not stand being restricted to these grungy clothes anymore, she hated the way they had begun to stick to her skin. Melrose slowly began to peel off her stained clothes, letting them fall to the floor in a pile by her feet. She stepped into the larger room, the gray titled floors felt cold beneath her feet, she sat her toiletries nearby for easy access and then turned on the metal faucets of the tub, adjusting them for an acceptable temperature. As the tub filled up with water, she poured in the bubble bath, watching as the hot water and suds began to create bubbly clouds; Melrose closed her eyes, only to be haunted by the images of Glenn and Abraham's gruesome deaths, the scared faces of her father and brother, and of the other Survivors, she could still hear Maggie's broken cries ringing in her ears. Her eyes shot open as she heard the old pipes rumbling, she quickly shut off the faucets, as she noticed the water and bubbles were almost to the edge of the tub. Melrose slowly sank into the tub full of hot, sudsy, water, some spilled out onto the titled floor once she was completely submerged. As she rose back out of the water, resting against the back of the tub, she pushed her now drenched hair out of her face, she closed her eyes, feeling the water droplets trickling down her face and that's when the tears began to fall. Melrose pulled her legs close to her chest and began to break down when she felt that her engagement ring was still on her finger, an ache filled her heart as she slowly lifted her head; the diamond caught the light just right, making it shine. She twisted the ring gently, letting it continue to twinkle in the light, her brow furrowed as more tears stung the backs of her eyes. _Jase,_ Melrose thought sorrowfully, _I-I never even got to say good-bye...or see you one last time._ The tears were streaming down her face now, as she attempted to choke back a heartbreaking sob—now she was _**here**_ , and she knew what Negan wanted...what he was going to offer for her.

Melrose shook the thought away, she grasped the edge of the tub, as another sob escaped her lips—Who would sing Judith her lullabies now? There was a certain order in which the songs had to be sung to get her young sister to sleep, it had been her job since she was born into this Walker infested world. Her heart ached as if she could already hear Judith's wailings; she was never going to see her again, she was never going to see her father or brother again, she was never going to see Jase or any of the other Survivors, her _**family**_...again. Melrose placed a hand over her mouth as she squeezed her eyes shut, tears streamed down her cheeks as she was breaking inside, screaming inside...she abruptly froze, gazing at her reflection in the soapy water, a trembling, sobbing mess stared back at her. Melrose took a deep breath, her nostrils flared as she pushed back her wet hair and then wiped her tears away, _Stop,_ She told herself, _you have to be strong and do whatever it takes to survive here, for_ _ **them**_. She thought. For her father, Rick, for Carl, for Jase and Judith, for every single one of them back in Alexandria.

Melrose finished her bath focusing on only one thought: **Survive**. She released the drain as she climbed out of the bathtub, she unfolded the towel and first dried her hair before drying herself off; she pulled the new clothes on, the undergarments fit perfectly as well as the jeans, the shirt was at least two sizes too big but she didn't mind the looseness. Melrose strolled over to the sink and with her hand, she wiped away the fog from the mirror, only to realize she wasn't alone anymore; her entire body tensed as she saw the Savior who she stabbed in the arm from her attempted escape earlier. A darkness shadowed the guy's face and burned in his eyes as he slowly stepped further into the room; Melrose slowly turned around, keeping her back pressed against the edge of the sink.

"Remember me?"The Savior asked as he crossed the room, closing in on her, Melrose remained silent, "My name is Mike."He said, Melrose, narrowed her eyes at him as he continued to walk towards her. She noticed that his injured arm had been bandaged, he appeared to be a few years older than she was; he was grungy, unshaven stubble lined his jawline and was creeping down his neck. He had dark brown eyes and dirty, greasy looking brunette hair which was long and shaggy and pushed out of his face, except for a few strands which seemed to be matted down onto his sweaty brow.

 _Fuck,_ She cursed, her knife was gone. She glanced down trying to find something that she could use as a weapon but there was nothing, she clenched her jaw, and glared back up at him. "That guy you killed out there, his name was Blane, he was my little brother." She still didn't speak which clearly was pissing him off, "YOU GOT NOTHING TO SAY ABOUT THAT, EH?"He yelled, closing the distance between them. He grabbed her by the face harshly, getting even closer to her, so close that she could feel his hot breath on her cheeks; Melrose's glare intensified as her eyes met his. "You killed my brother, you cut open my fucking arm!"He snapped, through gritted teeth, "You...you little bitch, need to be punished."Mike whispered, darkly.

Melrose could read between the lines, and his dark, chillingly tone, sent a surge of panic and rage throughout her veins, her body stiffened under his fingers squeezing into her bones. A sick, twisted smirk spread across Mike's face, as a dark gleam twinkled in his eyes, "It's a good thing you're easy on the eyes, honey."

Melrose narrowed her eyes as he released the grip on her face, he let his hand slowly drag against her body until he stopped at the button of her jeans, she shot her eyes up at him, her nostrils flared in anger before she headbutted him right in the nose. Mike cursed stumbling backward as blood began to leak from his nose, that's when Melrose kneed him hard in the groin, she heard him wheeze before buckling to his knees. She ran past him and was making a mad dash towards the door until he grasped her left ankle causing her to crash to the floor; Mel hit the floor hard, she was pulling herself up when Mike began to drag her backward, "You bitch!"He growled.

Her heart was pounding in her chest as she continued to struggle against him, he yanked her backward by her leg, causing the palm of her hands to get scratched by the title on the floor as she attempted to crawl away. He roughly grabbed a fist full of her wet hair and slammed her forehead against the edge of the bathtub, for a moment everything around her blurred and the room spun, Mike was on top of her now. Blood trickled down her face, burning her eyes, she shook the pain and numbness away, "HELP ME! SOMEONE HELP M—"Melrose screamed until Mike smashed his hand over top of her mouth roughly.

"Shut-up!"He snapped, before pulling a switchblade from his pocket.

Mel's eyes round in fright, she continued to struggle against his weight, and was struggling to breathe, she raised her right arm up, clawing at his face, as he sliced open her shirt, revealing her bra; he swatted her hands away but she continued to fight. She jabbed her right thumb into his eye, he grunted shaking her grip loose but she continued the same move, "STOP FIGHTING!"Mike shouted, "This is happening no matter how much you fight."He spat, letting the blade hover inches away from her flesh, he dragged the switchblade down the length of her until he stopped at the button of her pants and sliced it off, before unbuckling his pants. Melrose's breathing became labored beneath his hand that was smashing her nose and her mouth, she jabbed her thumb into his eye again, adding more and more pressure; if she had to gouge his eye out, then so be it. Mike began to scream when suddenly— **WHAM—** Mike scurried off of her and hurried to his feet, Melrose gasped for air and began to cough as she slowly sat up, the remains of her top slid off of her arms; her body trembled from the fight, the shock, the fear; over by the door, with Lucille still against the wall, stood Negan, glowering at Mike.

"What the fuck is going on here, eh?"Negan asked, his voice soft and dark, as he sauntered into the room.

"N-Nothing, Negan."Mike stammered.

Negan smirked as he narrowed his eyes at his lackey, "Nothing?"He repeated, stunned, "Oh, oh, oh, no, that, what you were doing, was not nothing."He snapped. His gaze moved over to Melrose, and softened a bit, Melrose followed his eyes and quickly wrapped her arms across her chest in an attempt to hide herself. Negan glared back at his man, "Oh Mike, Mike, Mikey boy, what the hell were you in here trying to do, huh? Look, I get it, you're upset about your brother, but...that does not give you the...FUCKING RIGHT TO COME IN HERE AND TRY TO GET RAPEY WITH THIS WOMAN! WITH ANY WOMAN FOR THAT MATTER!"

Melrose flinched at the sudden loudness and anger that was boiling out of Negan, his words echoed against the tiled walls like thunder. "You know the rules!"He growled,

"I-I know...I-I'm sorry...I'm sorry, Negan."Mike said, nervously.

Negan scoffed, "Oh, so you're sorry?"He mocked, his nostrils flared and his glare deepened, as his grip on Lucille tightened, "Sorry isn't going to cut it, Mikey boy."He replied, through gritted teeth, before swinging Lucille, plowing the barbed-wire bat into Mike's face, "YOU KNOW THE RULES...WE! DO! NOT! RAPE!"He bellowed, with each blow.

Melrose gasped and turned away, an uneasiness covered her as Negan continued to pummel his lackey; a bloodied gurgling sound was coming from Mike, which made her think of Glenn and Abraham. Finally, everything stopped, she heard Negan release a sigh as he dropped Lucille to the ground; Melrose slowly turned, her eyes instantly focusing on the bloodied heap that once was Mike. She choked back a gasp, his head was just a pile of meat and mush, blood was splattered all over the floor; Negan slowly walked over towards her and knelt down in front of her, "I'm so sorry about that, babydoll."He said softly, his face full of remorse.

"Y-You killed him...h-he was one of your men..."Melrose stammered, her body continued to tremble,

"I wouldn't call that sack of shit over there a man, not after what he was trying to pull,"Negan said, "hey, don't look at him."He replied, his voice sounded sorrowful as he gently raised her chin to face him. Melrose could see in Negan's dark eyes that he truly was bothered by what had _**almost**_ happened; she watched as he removed his leather jacket and tenderly wrapped it around her shoulders. Melrose stared at him puzzled, Negan was such an enigma to her, one moment he could be smashing someone's skull into mush and blood, and the next he was playing the part of a gentlemen, fear struck her hard in that moment for she realized, he was totally unpredictable.

"Damn babydoll, he did a number on your head,"He gently touched the wound which caused her to wince, pulling away from his touch, "but don't you worry, Melrose, Dr. Carson will patch ya up."

"But...I-I don't understand...you kill your own people?"She asked,

Negan stared at her for a moment, his gaze softened as he noticed that Melrose was still trembling, "You're new here, I get that you don't understand how things work here, babydoll, but yes, I will fucking kill one of my own, whenever they break my biggest rule—ya see, rape, is something I absolutely cannot fucking tolerate, and if one of my guys or gals for that matter, tries it, well...then they get the fucking punishment they fucking deserve. I really want you to understand...that we're not monsters."

Melrose glanced up at him, her brow furrowed which caused a wave of dull pain to course through her, her head was pounding as she tried to understand this man—he was fine with bashing people's heads in with a barbed wire bat but rape? He was against it?— _H-He's fucking insane...,_ She thought, but grateful that he had come to her rescue.

Negan carefully put an arm around her, "Come on babydoll, let's get you to ol' Dr. Carson—"

"I'm fine."Melrose snapped, shoving him off of her, as she stiffly stood up on her, everything began to spin for a moment, her head pounded thunderously which caused a surge of nausea and pain to jolt throughout her body. She almost lost her balance but thankfully, Negan caught her,

"Easy now,"Negan said, steadying her, he still had an arm about her, "look, babydoll, you don't have to play it tough all the time, I know you've got balls, let me carry you—"

"No."Melrose barked, narrowing her eyes at him, "I can walk on my own."

Negan smirked, "Fine, suit yourself, just hang onto me, so you don't fucking fall on your tight little ass."

Melrose rolled her eyes at his remark, and reluctantly grasped a hold of his arm, allowing him to lead her from the shower room, leaving the body of her attacker behind them.

* * *

Melrose's head was pounding, she could tell that the bleeding had stopped but the pain still lingered; Negan had a strong grip on her as he led her down the hallways which seemed never-ending until finally, they paused at a door. "Just lean on me, babydoll."Negan said, keeping one arm around her as he forced the door open. "Ol' Dr. Carson,"He called, as he helped her inside, "I've got a patient here in need of your utmost attention."

Despite the pounding of her head, Melrose looked about the room, she could tell this was a medical ward of sorts, numerous beds lined the back wall, there were shelves filled with liquid medicines and pills in bottles, needles and other medical supplies were scattered about a nearby table. A medical bench was directly adjacent from the desk littered with papers and medical books, that's where the older man wearing the long white lab coat sat; he quickly hopped up from his seat once they had let themselves in. The man was tall and thin, he appeared to be in his mid-fifties, he had thin brown-graying hair which was neatly combed back, "Oh my, bring her over here, please Negan."The man said, ushering towards the medical bench.

Negan lead Melrose to the bench and helped her up, she quickly shoved his hands away once she was seated, which caused Negan to smirk. "My, what happened to you, young lady?"The doctor asked, kindly.

"Um..."

"We're not here to talk about that, Doc, so just patch her up."Negan snapped.

"Uh..right of course, forgive me for asking."He stammered, he looked up at Melrose and smiled faintly, "I am Doctor Emmett Carson, by the way."

"I'm Melrose Grimes."

"Well, it's nice to meet you, dear."The doctor replied, carefully examining her palms which were scraped up. A bit of dried blood stained her hands, he gently cleaned the blood away and then grabbed a small spray bottle of disinfectant, "This might sting."He warned, she nodded. The doctor then sprayed the grazes, a faint burning nipped at her hands but she ignored it; Doctor Carson then bandaged her hands with some tan colored gauze. "Are you experiencing a headache, Melrose?"

"Yeah."She answered faintly, the pain was slowly subsiding but it was still there.

The doctor nodded and wandered over to one of his shelves, he grabbed a pill bottle and poured out two pills into his palm, he grabbed a nearby unopened bottle of water and returned to his patient. "Take these, these should help with the headache."He instructed, handing her the pills.

Melrose did as she was told, she popped the pills into her mouth and took the bottle of water from his hand to wash them down with, "Now, let me take a look at this nasty gash, I don't believe you have a concussion, so that is a good thing."He smiled, faintly.

Melrose returned the faint smile, she had had a concussion once in her childhood, a freak accident during a kickboxing match, she had already ruled that out diagnosis, and had assumed it was from the injury sustained from Mike slamming her head into the edge of the tub. Doctor Carson cleaned the blood from her face away, she tilted her head to the side to give him better access; he picked up the bottle of disinfectant once again and this time gave no warning, abruptly it felt like fire was kissing her flesh.

"Fuck!"She cursed, wincing.

Negan smirked as he leaned against the doorway, "Sorry, the worst is over, I just need to bandage it."Doctor Carson replied,

Once the doctor strolled over to gather some more bandages, Melrose glanced up and that's when she spotted the glass jar perched on the edge of his desk filled with different colored lollipops. She couldn't remember the last time she had seen candy, her stomach groaned, "Um...are those lollipops?"She asked, shyly.

Doctor Carson smiled, "Yes they are, you are welcomed to one if you'd like."

"Really?"Melrose smiled.

"You don't need to ask permission, babydoll, I told you if you see something you want, you take it."Negan smirked, as he strolled over to the doctor's desk. "So which one do you want?"He asked, removing the glass lid.

"Is there a..watermelon one?"Melrose questioned, as Doctor Carson returned with his supplies.

Negan's smirk widened, "Let's see." As Doctor Carson began to apply the first butterfly bandage, Melrose watched Negan out of the corner of her eye, he was rummaging in the jar until he pulled a lollipop out, his smile widening even more. "Bingo."He said, strolling over to her, brushing past the doctor. She lifted a hand to retrieve the candy, but Negan pulled it away, "Tsk, tsk, tsk, open your mouth, Melrose."

She arched a brow at him, "Excuse me?"

"You got to sit still while ol' Doctor Carson here fixes you up, so open your mouth, babydoll."Negan smiled darkly,

"Just give me the fucking sucker."Melrose snapped, trying to snatch it from Negan's hand,

"Um...actually, Melrose, you do need to stay still while I apply your bandages."The doctor said, nervously.

Melrose narrowed her eyes at Negan, "Say _ahhhh_ ,"He smirked. She huffed a sigh and finally opened her mouth, allowing Negan to place the lollipop inside. It was hard to stay angry once the sweetness erupted on her tastebuds, it brought back memories from her childhood which seemed to be from another life now that the world had turned into _**this.**_ A longing for home and her family stabbed her heart, she lowered her gaze and released a sigh, finally coming to terms that _**this**_ was her home now, whether she liked it or not.

Doctor Carson finished applying the bandages, "There, all done, Melrose."He smiled,

"Thank you, Doctor Carson."Melrose replied, as she hopped down from the medical bench. The pounding in her head had ceased and she was feeling much better, other than the grumbling in her stomach.

"Now, I'd like for you to stop by the next few days so I can see how that cut is healing. And take these, in case that headache comes back, and if you have any concerns, you can came here anytime."The doctor replied, handing her a bottle of pills.

She smiled faintly as she took the bottle, "Thank you again, for everything."

"Yeah, thanks Doc."Negan said, before exiting the room with Melrose following behind him. "We'll head up to my office, I think it's about time we discussed my proposition."He said, once they were out in the hallway.

Melrose remained silent and focused on her lollipop as she followed behind Negan, pulling his leather jacket closer about her, _I know what it's going to be...,_ She thought, an empty feeling dropped into the pit of her stomach, with each step that she took that feeling grew stronger and stronger. Melrose was so caught up in her thoughts that she almost ran into Negan who had abruptly paused as they walked past a female Savior; she appeared to be about the same age as herself, she was a few inches taller than Melrose, she had lightly tanned skin and black and blonde curly hair which was pulled back into a very messy pontail. "Hey, Arat,"He said,

"Yeah, Negan?"The female Savior asked,

"Do me a favor darling, and bring a clean t-shirt to my office, make it hasty."He grinned, before turning on his heels.

"Sure thing."Arat replied, her eyes darted over to Melrose and narrowed before she head off in the opposite direction.

Melrose rolled her eyes and followed behind Negan, finally he stopped at a door and opened it, motioning for Melrose to enter first, in a joking manner, she ignored his shit-eating grin and shoved past him, entering the room, _**his**_ room. No doubt that Negan had the biggest room in the entirety of the Sanctuary, dark long curtains hung from the large windows, and were neatly tied open allowing orange sunlight to pour into the room; there was a small sitting area which looked like something out of a magazine: two chevron chairs sat side by side with a small accent table in between them, across from the chairs was a dark brown leather sofa, in the middle was a golden coffee table with a glass top which had a platter of cheeses, fruits, and crackers. The walls were painted in a light gray shade, on one of the walls hung a large mounted deer head, freshly watered palm plants sat in each corner of the sitting area; behind the sofa was a large shelf filled with various knick knacks. Melrose glanced over to see a large bed with oaken bed posts, the blankets and numerous pillows that were neatly arranged on the bed were a dark gray hue; there was a dresser matching the wood work of the bed, in the corner of the sleeping area. Across the room from the bed, there was a door which was opened even from where she stood, she could see a fridge and a table and chairs, she guessed they had made their _**King**_ a dining and kitchen area so he wouldn't have to dine with the " _ **commoners**_ ". There was another door beside it which was closed, Negan shut the door behind them and kicked off his boots, releasing an exaggerated, " _Ahhhh",_ as he strolled over to the couch and plopped down onto the sofa, propping his feet onto the coffee table. "Come on in babydoll, make yourself at home."He smirked.

Melrose stepped further into the room and claimed one of the chairs, eyeballing the tray of food, her stomach growled again, loud enough for Negan to hear which caused his smirk to widen, "Go on, help yourself, Melrose, you must be hungry."

She smiled faintly, "Starving actually."She admitted, before grabbing a few cubes of cheese and few crackers. She removed what remained of her lollipop and placed a bit of cheese in her mouth, she began to chew but abruptly stopped, bringing a hand to her mouth; she wasn't sure if the taste was off due to the flavor of the lollipop, but the cheese had an unusual tang to it. She must have made a face because Negan chuckled,

"Tastes funny, huh? It's goat cheese, it's an acquired taste but you get used to it after awhile."He grinned,

Melrose swallowed, "It's not bad, just different."She said, before devouring another, this time with crackers. In this world now, one could not afford to be a picky eater, if there was food, whether you liked it or not, you ate it.

There was a knock at the door, "Come in."Negan replied, the door opened and the female Savior, named Arat strolled in with a bunched up t-shirt in her hands,

"Here's your shirt."She said, unemotionally, as she tossed it over to Melrose who quickly caught it.

"Um..thanks."Melrose said, with her mouth full.

"Thank you, Arat,"Negan said, "oh before you go, do me another favor, run down to the kitchens and get Dougie to bring up some...Melrose, what are you hungry for?"He asked, glancing over at her.

"Anything at all, I'm not picky."She replied,

He smirked, "Fine, get Dougie to bring up a platter of those sandwiches he's so good at making, would ya?"

"Sure."Arat said, before leaving the room.

"You can go change in that room over there, babydoll, then we'll get to our _**talk**_."Negan grinned, darkly.

Melrose rose from her seat and made her way towards the closed door, she opened it and wandered inside, this room was a decent sized bathroom, _Of course he'd have his very own private bathroom...,_ She thought. The walls were painted the same shade of gray as the previous room, a large vanity and sink was on the far wall, an enourmous rounded mirror hung above the sink portion, a large shower with glass doors was in the corner and toilet nearby made up the rest of the bathroon. Piles of dirtied clothes were littered here and there across the glossy white tiled floor. Melrose wandered further inside the room and removed Negan's leather jacket, she unfolded the faded black shirt and pulled it on; the shirt was clearly a man's for she was swimming in it, she could tell it was an old band shirt even though the writing had faded away, she could still make out that it was from Pink Floyd's: Dark Side of the Moon, album from the images. While she was in here she figured she'd fix her now half dried, wavy hair, she quickly braided it, having no hair supplies she tied the end loosy. She decided to tie the shirt up, before she exited the bathroom, she picked up Negan's jacket; Melrose strolled over to him and returned his jacket to it's rightful owner, which he slipped back into. "Negan..."Melrose said, softly, "thank you...for showing up when you did—"

"Oh babydoll, no thanks is needed."He said, waving his gloved hand in the air as if he were swatting her words away. "Take a seat, Melrose, it's time we discussed my proposition."Negan grinned his shit-eating smile.

Melrose chewed the inside of her cheek as she reclaimed her chair across from his, his dark eyes watching her, "Look, I already know what it's going to be so you might as well spit it out."She replied, curtly.

His smirk widened and darkened, "Fine, straight to the point then, will you become one of my wives?"

Negan barely got the words out before Melrose answered, "Yes."

"Damn, babydoll, that was an awful quick answer, if you really don't want that _**privilege**_ , I could always make you a worker or a Savior—"

"No."Melrose snapped, "I-I want to become your...wife."She forced the words out of her, she _**had**_ to do this, even if everything within her was screaming against it, if she agreed to this, she would be close to Negan, she could gain his trust and end him.

He smirked, "Well alrighty then—"

"On one condition."Melrose said.

Negan arched a brow at her, "Oh?"He said, raising from his seat on the couch, he sauntered around to the other side of the coffee table and perched himself on the edge of it, sitting right in front of Melrose, "And what condition might that be, babydoll?"He smirked.

She returned his expression, refusing to back down to him, "I saw your little den of wives, I saw how they live so closely, how they all share a bed together, and I refuse to live and sleep with your little harem. I want my own place."She demanded, strongly.

Negan smirked, shaking his head as he chuckled, "Damn, babydoll, you are such a fucking badass. So...you want your own room, eh?"

"Yep,"Melrose said, staring sternly at him, " because let's face it, _**babydoll**_ , I am _**not**_ like your other wives."

Negan chuckled, inching closer to her, "No, you most certainly are not."He whispered, slowly, she could feel his breath on her neck, "Fine, you can have your own room."He said, leaning backto see her face.

"Good."

Another knock was at the door, Negan rolled his head over to the side, almost annoyed, "Yeah?"He barked.

"Negan, it's me, Dougie, I-I brought you sandwiches."A voice came from the other side of the door.

His annoyed look quickly was replaced with a grin, "Come on in, Dougie boy, we're starving in here!"Negan announced.

"Ummm...I-I could actually use some help, my hands a-are a little full."The voice stated, stammering a bit,

Negan rolled his eyes and huffed a frustrated sigh as he rose to his feet, and walked over to the door, forcing it open, "Dougie boy, get your fat ass in here."He grinned,

Melrose glanced over her shoulder to see a boy about Carl's age waddling inside, he was a bit on the plumper side and whoever cut his hair did a poor job of a buzzcut. In one hand he had a platter of sandwiches which appeared to be made from a professional deli, her stomach whined at the smell of the freshly baked bread, cheeses, meats, and vegetables; in his other hand was a platter of homemade potato chips. The boy placed the platters onto the coffee table beside the tray of snacks, he glanced up at Melrose with big, round, green eyes, and smiled, "Hi."He said, in an overly friendly tone.

"Hi."She smiled faintly. It was clear that the boy wasn't all there, she felt bad for him, he most likely did not comprehend what was going on in this new world, and was probably being overworked and taken advantage of here.

"You're r-really pretty."Dougie said.

"Thank you."Melrose replied, kindly.

Dougie approached her and outstretched a hand as if he wanted to pat her on top of the head, Negan quickly grabbed the kid around his neck, pulling him close to him in a hoax head-lock; Melrose's brow furrowed as fear struck her, not for her, but for the boy, as she noticed a darkness in Negan's eyes. She wondered for a moment if Negan (fucked up as he is), really would hurt an incompetent kid? "Ah, ah ah, Dougie,"He said, "remember what I told you, you do not touch my wives, now I know this is your first time meeting Melrose, so I'm gonna let it slide buddy-boy, okay?"

"Okay, Negan."Dougie grinned widely up at him.

Melrose released a sigh of relief, as Negan smiled and patted Dougie on the cheek, "Good boy, now do me a solid and go fetch D, for me, will ya?"

"Okay."Dougie said, walking towards the door, "Bye, Melrose."

She smiled, "Bye, Dougie."

Once the door was closed and Dougie was gone, Negan chuckled, "Kid's dumb as a stack of rocks but he's a damn good cook."He said, grabbing one of the sandwiches before he reclaimed his seat on the sofa, propping his feet up once more.

Melrose narrowed her eyes at him before taking a sandwich of her own, "It's not funny."She retorted. "It's pretty sick what you're doing."

Negan returned her expression, "Is it now?"He asked, "I saved that kid, I gave him a job and safe place to stay, do you honestly think he has a chance out there with those Walkers? He'd be chewed up and shit out in seconds, I say, he's got it good here."

Melrose decided to keep her mouth shut and focused on the food before her, she had just finished her second sandwich and a pile of chips when there was once again, another knock at the door. "Come on in, Dwighty boy!"Negan called from the couch, refusing to get up again.

The door opened and in strolled a Savior named, Dwight, the instant Melrose saw him, she remembered him, though it was hard to forget someone who's face was half burned off. She glared at him as he approached the sitting area and he returned the expression; Melrose remembered Daryl telling her of his first encounter with the man before her and how he betrayed him. She remembered that he was the one who hauled Daryl into the back of the van, which was how they had ended up here.

"D, I want you to round everybody up, I got to make a public apperance to show off my new wifey, here."Negan smirked.

Melrose nearly choked on food and coughed, "E-Excuse me?"She wheezed.

"Oh, babydoll, I got to show off my _**merchandise**_ , let my men know that you are not to be touched, that you belong to me,"He said, before letting out a small chuckle, "besides, we need witnesses to make our wedded bliss legit."

Melrose glowered at him, her blood began to boil within her at his words, she scoffed, "I'm sorry, I didn't realize that I was fucking property."

Negan arched a brow at her, a smug grin formed on his lips as he stood up from his seat. "Damn, you, Melrose Grimes, have got a fucking smart mouth on you."He said, shoving Dwight aside as he closed in on her. "Like I said before... _ **that**_ , is going to get you into some trouble one day."

Her glare intensified as he gripped the arms of the chair she was sitting in and bent down in front of her, "Which, reminds me, I almost forgot to tell you the one rule that I give _**allllll**_ of my wives."Negan's voice was low and dark, as he spoke.

Melrose raised a brow at him, "And what rule is that, Negan?"She inquired, dryly.

"None of my wives can ever cheat on me."

She scoffed, which clearly pissed him off, as he narrowed his dark eyes at her, "Says the guy with multiple wives,"Melrose folded her arms across her chest, "you really are a fucking hypocrite."

Negan's nostrils flared as he frowned and before Melrose could blink, he lunged at her and forcefully grabbed her chin, his long fingers squeezing into the bones of her face; it was painful but she refused to give him the satisfaction of knowing that. "Just fucking promise that you won't cheat on me, Melrose."He snarled. Her answer was a stern glare, "SAY IT!"He bellowed, applying more pressure.

This time she winced and closed her eyes, "I...I-I promise that I won't cheat on you, Negan."Melrose spat.

Negan smiled darkly before releasing his grip on her, "Good girl."He said, patting her on the cheek, she swatted his hand away which caused his smile to widen.

Melrose felt Dwight's eyes on her, when she looked over at him he quickly looked away, and agreed to Negan's demands before leaving. "Well we got an hour to kill until then, what do you want to do until then, Melrosy?"He asked,

She shot him a glare and turned away from him, "Gonna make me decide, huh? Well there's _**many**_ , _**mannnny**_ things I could think of doing."Negan replied in a dark, sensual tone.

Melrose clenched her jaw, quickly understanding his meaning, the thought made her ill. "In your dreams, asshole."She hissed.

Negan smirked, narrowing his eyes at her, "Ouch, that was ice cold."

 _Oh, soon find out how ice cold I can be.,_ She thought, darkly.

* * *

Before the hour was up, two male Saviors had stopped by delivering Lucille back to Negan, and bringing Melrose her combat boots and her book, they had informed her that her soiled clothes had been taken in with the rest of the laundry and would be turned once they were washed and dried, to which she nodded. She had began reading and had got a few pages in when she heard Negan raising from the sofa, "Well I guess it's time to greet the people."He said, pulling his boots back onto his socked feet. "Come on, babydoll."He said, grabbing her by the arm and yanking her from her seat, causing her book to clatter to the floor.

Melrose glared up at him, freeing her arm from his grasp, "I don't believe I asked for your assistance."She snapped, brushing past him and making her way to the door,

"As you wish, dear wife."He mocked, smirking that wide, dark, grin as he followed behind her, closing the door to his room. Negan walked in front of her leading the way, they walked down to the very end of the hall and took a door leading to a stairwell which lead to Negan's " _ **favorite**_ " place, where they had been only hours before, overlooking the grounds of the Sanctuary. They finally reached the top and Negan walked out onto the balcony, Melrose stayed back taking everything in; they were not the only ones on the balcony floor, there were quite a few Saviors, men and women, she guessed that the ones allowed to stand here were higher up in Negan's ranks. She slowly walked out towards the rails, that's when her eyes widened, as she saw the sea of people down below; there were more than she had realized, thousands stood down below, and they all knelt down in unison as they saw their leader. A chill ran down her spine, _I-It's like a fucking cult...,_ She thought. Negan wore his famous coprophagous grin as he outstretched his arms and his minions arose, "Everybody, I just want to thank you all for coming,"

 _Not like they had much of a choice.,_ Melrose thought, rolling her eyes as she folded her arms across her chest.

"today is a special day,"Negan continued, "ya see, I got me another _**wife**_!"

The crowd erupted into a thunderous applause which made Melrose uneasy, a look of disgust and confusion was written on her face; Negan glanced back at her and motioned for her to come forward, "Come on, babydoll, don't be shy."He smirked.

Melrose narrowed her eyes at him and hesitantly moved forward, plaing a trembling hand onto the railing, seeing the mob down below from Negan's eyes. "Holy shit..."She whispered under her breath. _We..we really didn't even put a dent in their numbers.,_ She thought, fearfully.

She was so caught up in her thoughts that when Negan placed a hand at the small of her back, it caused her to jump, "This is Melrose! Now, I know we've been through this many a time,"His grin widened, "but I _**always**_ want to publicly announce the fucking rules in case one of you decides to play stupid! So, I'm going to make this as crystal clear as fucking possible, like I always do, no one is to touch, my _**wife**_! Any, of my wives."He bellowed, sternly, "If any of you decides to get brave and tries to do so, well,"A dark look washed over his face, "we know the punishment for that."

"WHO ARE YOU?"Negan abruptly roared, to which the crowd in perfect unison answered, "I AM NEGAN!"

A feeling of complete and utter terror surged throughout her body, causing her hair to stand on end, she gripped the railing tighter in attempts to get her nerves under control. Negan leaned towards her, "I think now's a perfect time give me a little kiss, dear wife."He said, softly, in her ear.

Melrose's brow furrowed as she looked over at him, "What?"She gasped,

Negan's smirked widened, "Come on, babydoll, it's time we seal the deal and my people are down their waiting, so what do you say?"

Melrose glanced down at the sea of people below, she gulped, feeling every single eye on her, she looked back at Negan who had a smug look on his face and a dark desire burning in his eyes. Her heart pounded within her, "Fine."She said.

"Good answer."Negan smirked, before pulling her close to him, her arms were crushed against his strong chest. Her heart pounded in her chest and her ears began to burn, she closed her eyes as their lips met; his facial hair was scratching against her cheeks and chin. She tried to pull away but he grabbed her chin, trying to force his tongue into her mouth, Melrose's eyes shot open and she shoved him away, glaring at him as he grinned. "***-Damn, babydoll, you're a sweet little thing."Negan smirked, wrapping an arm around her neck as he forced her to walk beside him, leading back to the stairwell.

"What the fuck was that?"She snapped, shrugging his arm off of her.

"A kiss, dear wife."Negan teased, "So, now that you're mine, that pretty ol' ring of your is gonna have to go."

Melrose clutched her hand tightly, concealing the ring, "No,"She refused, shaking her head, "No, no, y-you took me away! I didn't even get to see Jase, I didn't get to say good-bye...this is the only thing I have left!"She shouted angrily, she could already feel the tears stinging the backs of her eyes.

To her surprise, Negan's expression softened, "You can keep it."He said, before descending down the stairs. Melrose was taken a back, she figured he would have forced it off of her finger, but...he hadn't; she followed after him,

"Y-You're really letting me keep it?"She asked,

"Sure thing, babydoll, you've had a hell of a day."Negan replied, "I can at least let you keep the damn thing."

"T-Thank you."

"Now, let's get back to my place—"

Melrose stopped and narrowed her eyes at him, "Oh no. We had a deal, you said I could have my own room."She retorted, "I thought you were a man of your word."

Negan paused and turned towards her, "I am and you will, but tonight you're staying with me."He smirked, "I want to keep an eye on you, considering all that's happened today. You being attacked, getting injured—"

"I'm fine, I don't need a fucking babysitter!"Melrose snapped,

He closed the distance between them and stared down at her, towering over her, "You're spending the night with me, Melrose."

She glared up at him, searching his eyes but she realized, there was no changing his mind, she huffed a sigh, "Fine, you're an asshole, ya know that?"She barked, shoving past him.

Negan smirked, "I know."He said, proudly.

* * *

Evening was closing in, casting an orange glow onto the Sanctuary, streams of dark orange sunlight flooded Negan's quarters. After they had returned from the public display announcing their " _ **union**_ ", a dull headache was plaguing Melrose, she figured it was from all the stress and fatigue that the past two days had brought, finally affecting her; she had decided to take nap, and that was where she was now, dozing on the couch. She rolled on to her side and slowly her eyes fluttered open, she sat up popping her neck and stretched, her entire body felt stiff but the headache had subsided. She looked about the room, seeing Negan was nowhere to be found but there was a rustling of metal pans coming from the kitchen area; she could smell something cooking which caused her stomach to grumble. Melrose arose from the sofa and quietly peered into the kitchen to find Negan with his back turned towards her, she could tell he was stirring something that was in a pot on the stove. The kitchen area was small, a refrigerator was in one corner, followed by a sink with various cabinets underneath and overhead, the stove, and then a small table with two cushioned chairs.

Melrose leaned against the door frame and folded her arms across her chest, "I didn't peg you as the cooking type."She finally spoke up, a smirk on her lips.

Negan turned towards her and grinned, "I am a man of various talents, babydoll."He stated, in a teasing manner, "So, how ya feeling?"

There were many things Melrose could have said but the plan that she had been planning was slowly knitting together a plan, _Why fight it_? She thought, _I need to gain his trust, I need to do whatever it takes to stay alive here..,_ Mel thought, an uneasy feeling formed in the pit of the stomach at the thought of... _ **being**_ with him. "Better."She answered, bluntly. "So, what are you cooking?"

"Spaghetti and meatballs, homemade."

She arched an eyebrow as she wandered further into the kitchen, "So what, were you a chef, before the outbreak?"She asked, jokingly.

"Hell no."Negan replied, almost offended, as he ceased his stirring. He turned around and leaned against the counter, folding his arms across his chest, "I was a highschool gym coach."

Melrose smirked, she could totally see him being a hardcore, foul mouthed coach, scaring kids into submission; she shook the image away and strolled over to him, "So, do you need help with anything?"Melrose asked, glancing up at him from under her long, dark lashes, "I mean..I am your _**wife**_ , afterall."She replied, a bit flirtatiously, as she gently brushed her fingertips against the flesh of his arm.

Negan arched a bushy brow at her, his dark eyes flashed alluringly, that famous grin curled upon his lips, "My, my, babydoll, what changed your tune?"He inquired, grimly.

Melrose's heart almost skipped a beat, as he narrowed his eyes at her, _S-Surely, he hasn't figured out my plan...,_ She wondered. She ignored the chill slithering down her spine and pressed herself against him, wrapping her arms around his neck, her fingertips gently brushing against the hair at the nape of his neck, "I just...had to let everything sink in, everything was happening so fast, ya know?"Melrose replied, innocently.

That smile of his widened as his coarse hands brushed down her sides, resting at her hips, "Yeah, I get that."He said, softly and darkly. His expression quickly changed, "Why don't you finish slicing up the bread, I'm gonna toast it in the oven so it'll have a nice _**crrrunch**_."

"Sure."Melrose forced a smile, as they untwined themselves. She spotted the loaf of bread Negan had refered to, the loaf was perched on the counter beside the sink, sitting on a metal cooking tray, a few pieces had been cut off already. She picked up the large knife that lay beside the tray, the blade wasn't the sharpest but with enough force it could still deliver some damage; she gripped the wooden handle tighter, glancing over at Negan out of the corner of her eye. _Not yet,_ She thought. Melrose began slicing the bread into thick, even slices; she opened the first two sets of cabinets that were overhead and began pawing through the bottles of spices and herbs, until she found the one she desired—garlic powder, "Do you have any butter?"She asked, half-heartedly, almost certain that the answer would be "no".

"Sure do, there's some in the fridge."Negan replied.

Melrose was surprised, _Damn...this place has everything.,_ She thought. She moved towards the refrigerator and opened it, the fridge was completely stocked of food and beer, even a few sodas in aluminum cans; she quickly spotted the butter perched, half gone, on a small tray with a clear, glass lid. She plucked it from it's spot in the fridge and closed the door with a bump of her hip, she retrieved a small glass bowl from one of the other cupboards; Melrose placed some of the butter into the bowl and spotted a small, but functional microwave wedged into the corner of the counter. She placed the bowl inside and punched in a time, long enough to melt it; while she waited, she began opening drawers until she found one which held silverware and retrieved a spoon. _Ding_. She trotted over and the bowl was warm, not too hot to the touch; she could feel Negan's eyes on her the whole time, she glanced over at him as she sprinkled a bit of the powdered garlic into the melted butter, stirring it together before she began to drizzle it over the slices of bread. A smirk formed on his lips, "Well, you sure are making yourself at home."He stated.

Melrose returned his expression, "Shouldn't I?"She inquired, arching a brow at him. "It's not like I'm going... _ **home**_ anytime soon."She forced the thoughts and heart ache away. Melrose shoved past Negan and placed the bread inside the oven, beside the tray of baking meatballs, her stomach growled again as the aroma of everything cooking circled around her. An awkward silence filled the room, Melrose took a step past Negan and sat down in one of the chairs, "It shouldn't take long on the bread, a few mintues, you just want it to a little toasted..."She replied, drumming her thumbs together, her tone a bit on edge.

Negan smirked, "You want a drink?"

"God yes!"Melrose sighed, thankfully.

His grin widened as he wandered over to the fridge, he pulled out two beers and let the door shut with a _**SLAM**_! Negan strolled back towards the table with a beer in each hand, he slid one across the tabletop towards Melrose, which she quickly grabbed. She twisted the top open and began to chug, with each guzzle she began to submerge her thoughts and feelings of home and her family deep down, until she finished the bottle. Negan arched a brow at her, "Damn."

"What, you think I can't handle my alcohol?"She snapped, "It takes a lot more than that to get me tipsy. Mind if I have another?"

"Oh babydoll, you do not have to ask for anything. I told you before, you want something, you take it."Negan smirked, before taking a big gulp, "So you go right ahead, help yourself."

"Thanks."

Melrose helped herself to another bottle and reclaimed her seat across from Negan, "So, Melrose Grimes, tell me about yourself."He said, leaning back in his chair before he took another swig.

She looked up at him and wiped the foam from the corner of her lips, "Are we really doing this?"Melrose scoffed,

Negan's smile widened, "You are my wife now, I think I have the right to know some things about you."He replied,

Melrose rolled her eyes, "What do you want to know?"She asked.

"Welllll, earlier when I mentioned your Mama, there seemed to be some hostility coming from you, so...tell me about that."

Melrose chewed the inside of her cheek, "What's there to say?"She said coldly. An image popped into her head, it was from long ago, the only framed photo that Rick had of her mother, he had gotten rid of all the others and she didn't blame him, Naomi was hardly ever around and their relationship was...rocky to say the least. Melrose despised her, despite having no memories of her. "I didn't really know her to be honest..."She began, softly, "Dad, g-got her knocked up in highschool...he wanted to do the right thing by her—ya know, get married, buy a house, the whole nine yards but...Naomi, she was a party girl, she didn't want that...didn't want me, so...she planned to have an abortion..."Melrose paused, her hands had formed into fists on her knees, her knuckles turning white, anger and bitterness were boiling within her as Negan whispered "Damn."

"...Dad, somehow talked her out of it and she agreed to marry him...and after I was born, she went right back to her partying and drinking and whoring around, leaving Dad to take care of me."

"Damn babydoll, sooooo...what happened to her?"Negan inquired, before finishing off his beer.

Melrose looked up at him with dark, emotionless eyes, "She died being a dumbass...she was driving home one night from a party, completely shitfaced, swerved off the road, flipped the car about five times and straight into a tree...the impact killed her instantly, thank God no one else was involved."

"Fucking hell."He sighed, "How old were you?"

"I had just turned two."Melrose answered, "Well, I should probably take the bread out now."She said, changing the subject. Mel quickly found a pair of bright colored oven mitts with a hideous mix-match pattern woven into them; she opened the oven and removed the tray of bread, she also took out the meatballs to see if they were thoroughly cooked.

She didn't have to turn around to know that Negan was standing behind her, she could _**feel**_ him; her body stiffened as he placed a hand on her hip, his fingers brushed against her softly as he moved beside her, removing his hand to tend to his sauce and boiling noodles. He turned the burners off, and she assisted him in straining the noddles; she began to set the table while Negan mixed in the sauce and the meatballs, and brought the pot of spaghetti over to the table, placing it beside the tray of bread. He turned on his heels and pulled out a bottle of wine from one of the cabinets, along with two glasses; he poured Mel a glass first and then one for himself, he smirked as he plopped down in the chair across from her, "Go on babydoll, bon appetit, help yourself."He replied.

Melrose scooped a big heaping pile onto her plate, and claimed two pieces of bread. She quickly began to eat, she couldn't remember the last time that she had eaten something so delcious. The sauce was exquisite, seasoned perfectly with oregano, the meatballs were juicy and again seasoned perfectly. She paused a moment, letting the flavors mingle on her taste buds before swallowing, "Something wrong?"Negan asked, as she sat frozen.

"N-No...it's actually fucking delicious."

That famous crooked grin formed on his lips, "Well thank you."He replied, proudly.

Melrose began to dig in, it had been a long time since she had had something so filling. Back in Alexandria, every one had a ration limit so everyone was given an equal amount; before they had left, supplies weren't dangerously low but low enough that groups were heading out to scavenge more. She knew she must have looked like a pig, devouring everything the way that she was, but surprisingly Negan did not remark on it, instead he brought the conversation back to her, "So then, you and Carl have different mama's."

She cut her eyes up at him and wiped her mouth, a slight chill ran down her spine, he remembered Carl's name, _He has a damn good memory.,_ She thought. "Gee, what gave it away?"Mel said, sarcastically, "We don't exactly look alike if you haven't noticed...my mom was Native American."She replied, curtly. The only similarlies that Carl and her shared were the same ice blue eyes that they had inherited from their father, Rick.

"So what's your step mom like? She back in Alexandria?"Negan asked,

"No...she died before we ever made it there."Melrose answered, a twinge of sorrow plucked at her heart.

" _ **Geeez**_."Negan said, "how'd she go out, if you don't mind me asking."

Melrose swallowed hard, her mouth suddenly went dry, "...giving birth to my sister. W-We had to cut Judith out and...and had to ummm...end her before she changed..."

"***-Damn."

"I...I hated her so much near the end. I never got to...to make amends with her."She said, ashamed. Lori was the only real mother that Melrose had known, she had treated her like her very own since the beginning. Rick and her had gotten married when she was six, then they had Carl, she had never once thought of Carl as her step-brother, he was her brother. Things were good until the outbreak, that's when her relationship with Lori started to crumble.

"Why'd you hate her so much?"He pried.

"A lot of reasons actually...it started with how quickly she began fucking my dad's best friend."

"Damn."

"Before the outbreak, dad had been shot, he was a sheriff. He was in a coma when it started and we had to leave...it had only been a few weeks and she was already screwing Shane. Then Dad found us and she went right back to him as if nothing ever happened, only to drop the bombshell that she was pregnant. God, I hated her, to...to willing to get knocked up and to bring a baby into this shithole that's now the world..it's fucking selfish! We weren't on speaking terms when she went into labor...but when I held Judith in my arms...all that hate went away. I love that little girl, even if there's a chance she's not dad's, she's my sister...I-I took out of the room when..."She paused a moment, "...when they killed her."

"***-Damn, babydoll, you've had a hell of a time out there."Negan stated, "So, how old is she?"

"She's almost a year old."Melrose said softly, her voice almost breaking at the thought of Judith crying and wrestling with Rick and Carl.

"I'm sorry...I can see how much you miss her...miss your home, but I assure you, babydoll, that this place will feel like home soon."

She narrowed her eyes at him and continued eating; she gulped down her glass of wine and finished off her plate, for the first time in a long time, her belly was full. Once they had eaten their fill, and cleared the table they moved back to the sitting area of the room, Negan brought out another bottle of wine and their glasses. Melrose took a set on the sofa, and Negan plopped down beside her, invading her personal space. "So,"He started, his voice was soft and dark as his eyes focused on the ring on her finger, "how did you and lover boy meet?"

"That's a long story."

"Oh come on now, babydoll, we've got nothing but time."He grinned, propping his feet upon the coffee table.

Melrose rolled her eyes and sighed, "Well, I was given a scholarship for an internship in the UK, we met while I was in Edinburgh...and we just continued to keep in touch and...yeah, it just happened."

Negan arched a brow as he looked over at her, "***-Damn, a Scotsman, eh?"

"I...I was actually planning on leaving before Dad was injured. I was going to move there but Dad wanted Jase to move here so we were closer to home...we had a huge argument the day he was shot...and after we heard the news, we decided to stay until he woke up...but then..."She stopped, remembering the day as if it happened only yesterday. It wasn't long after Rick had been shot that the world had...changed to the shit hole it was now.

"So you blame Papa Rick for you being stuck here."

Melrose stared up at him dumbfounded; was she that easy to read? It had been a long while since she had felt that hostility towards her father, and she thought that it had melted away. "I-I did...but there's no way that it would have made a difference...this...it has to be happening worldwide, if it wasn't...then why has no one tried to save us?"

"Hmm, you're right about that."Negan said, grimly, before taking a drink from the wine bottle.

The conversation changed back to her and Jase, she told hm how they had met; a sad smile tugged at the corners of Melrose's mouth, reminiscing caused her heart to ache. She longed to be out of this hell and return to Jase's side, back with her father and brother and sister. Melrose took a sip of wine and gritted her teeth, she didn't know why she was spilling her guts to Negan; perhaps she was trying to get his mind far from sex, she had seen that dark, sensual flicker in his eyes since their first encounter and she had no desire in fulfilling his wish. She refilled her glass, "We've been talking about me for hours, so...why don't you tell me something about you?"Melrose smirked.

Negan grinned rolling his head over towards her, "Well, babydoll, what is it you want to know?"He asked.

Melrose glanced about the room, searching for anything to get the conversation rolling again, when her eyes focused onto the bloodied barbed wire bat which was perched agains the wall by the door. _Bingo.,_ She thought, with a sly grin. "What's the deal with... _ **Lucille**_?"Melrose inquired. She knew she had to gain Negan's trust and while in doing so, she needed to learn as much as she could about the man and any weakness he may have.

A dark shadow seemed to wash over Negan's face at the mention of his beloved Lucille, he snatched the bottle of wine and finished it off before muttering, "That...is a long story."

"Well, you said it yourself, we have nothing but time,"Melrose pressed on, "but if you don't want to tell me, then you don't have to."

He sighed as he stretched back onto the couch, propping his feet back onto the coffee table and placing his hands behind his head; a dark, almost sorrowful look, flickered within his dark eyes, which almost made Melrose regret asking the question...almost. "Lucille was my wife, my _**real**_ wife, before the world went to the shitter. She died before...before any of this happened."

A small twinge of remorse plucked at Melrose's heart, "Oh shit...h-how did she die?"She asked, carefully.

"Cancer."Negan replied, darkly. "We were in the hospital...I-I had just lost her when all the chaos broke loose and Lucille... _ **changed**_ , and I-I couldn't bring myself to take her out...I couldn't do it." He paused for a moment and sniffled, wiping his nose with his thumb. "Fought my way out of that place and was on my own for a _**loooonnng**_ while, I had to improvise out there and so...I created _**Lucille**_."He said, his dark eyes focused onto the bat perched in the corner. "To protect not only me but to protect others."

Melrose's expression softened as she noticed the sorrowful look in Negan's eyes, even he had heart, she had tried to fight it but even she couldn't help but feel remorseful about bringing up such a grim subject. "I-I'm sorry..."She said, softly, placing a comforting hand on his arm. Negan turned towards her, their eyes met, and that sorrowful flicker quickly changed to a blaze of desire; Melrose quickly removed her hand and lowered her gaze.

Negan smirked, "Ya know, Melrose, you remind me of her."He said, softly, she glanced over at him. "Your smart-ass mouth, your sarcastic remarks, Lucille was always a tough broad, she never put up with my shit. She deserved better than me...plus,"A smirk spread across his face, "you're both hot as _**helll**_."

She narrowed her eyes at him, whatever remorse she had felt for him had melted away. "Is that why you took me? Because I remind you of her?"Melrose replied, curtly.

He returned the expression, his smirk widening, "There's that smart-ass mouth again."Negan said, "No. I took you because your my extra leverage to keep your daddy in line."

Melrose glared at him, "And what happens if he doesn't fall into line? Are you going to kill me?"She snapped, "Your own _**wife**_?"

Negan stared at her darkly, "Well...let's hope you don't ever have to find out, babydoll. I sure would hate to mess up that pretty face of yours."He grinned, as invaded her personal space once again. He placed his arm about her and pulled her close him, she glared up at him which only made him smirk. "Oh come on now babydoll, doesn't your loving husband deserve another kiss?"

Melrose gulped. She could feel him undressing her with his eyes, her heart pounded fearfully within her chest at the thought of this _**kiss**_ leading to anything else. Slowly and reluctantly she wrapped her arms about his neck, she could feel him resting his strong hands on her hips; Melrose could feel her cheeks burning, her heart beat was now hammering in her ears as she closed her eyes and pressed her lips against his. _I'm sorry Jase...,_ She thought, guiltily. Negan pulled her closer and attempted to deepen the kiss, and to Melrose's dismay...she allowed him; his tongue entered her mouth and hers into his, the dance was awkward and unwanted at first but quickly became synchronized as Melrose imaged Jase was the one holding her, kissing her. She gently tugged the hair at the nape of his neck as she bit his bottom lip, Negan growled in her mouth, as he pulled her closer, while his free hand fumbled with the button of her jeans. Melrose's eyes shot open, as realization struck her like a lightning bolt; she wasn't kissing Jase, she was kissing...Negan! She was his prisioner, his wife. She pushed him off of her and rose to her feet, turning away from him with trembling hands, as she recaptured her breath.

"Melrose..."Negan said, his voice soft and gruffly, "I'm sorry, if I was forceful. I know you've had a _**helll**_ of a day—"

"Stop!"Melrose snapped, turning back to face him, "Look...I-I don't mind the kissing...but if you think for one mintue that I'm going to spread my legs for you then you're fucking wrong!"She spat, angry tears stung the backs of her eyes as she turned away from him once again. She hated herself...she felt guilty, dirty, and her heart seemed to crack as she had to admit to herself that she had minded kissing him, a part of her wanted _**more**_. Melrose squeezed her eyes shut as she folded her arms across her chest, trying to forget his touch.

"***-Damn, if I didn't know better I'd think you were a virgin."Negan teased. Melrose glared back at him and saw his expression soften, "Oh shit, you are, aren't you?"

"Yeah, I am! Happy now, dick?"She snapped.

"Damn, babydoll, I'm sorry."was Negan's poor excuse for an apology, "I didn't peg you as one."

She turned back to face him, narrowing her eyes at him, "What the shit is that supposed to mean?"Melrose snarled.

Negan scoffed, smirking, "It's just hard to believe that someone who looks like you do, has never been fucked."

Melrose could feel her cheeks burning hot as she glowered at him. _He is simply unbelievable!,_ She thought, irritated at Negan's nonchalant tone. "So you and lover boy never—"

"Would you shut-up!"Melrose snapped, "We messed around yeah, but no we never did it, if you must know we were...we were waiting until our wedding night."She replied sadly, staring down at her engagement ring which glistened in the low light. "So go on and laugh!"She retorted.

Negan stared up at her with a contrite expression, "Now, why would I laugh at that? That's fucking beautiful."

"Don't fucking patronize me."Melrose warned.

"I'm not, I mean it, babydoll."Negan said, as he rose to his feet, closing the distance between them. "Look, Melrose,"His tone sympathetic, as he tenderly took a hold of her hand which caused her to face him, "I'm sorry if I was forceful in anyway, I'm not going to make you do something you don't want to do. We'll wait until your ready."

Melrose furrowed her brow as she searched his dark eyes, she could see that Negan was serious and spoke true, but she could still see that flicker of sexual hunger burning within his orbs. She pulled her hand from his, "And...what if I don't ever want to?"

Negan arched a brow at her, she couldn't help but notice him grimace at her words but the expression quickly morphed into that shit-eating grin. "Well now babydoll, that's what my other wives are for, now ain't it?"

She rolled her eyes at him in disgust, but a part of her was thankful to let his harem deal with his sexual desires and not her. "Oh shit,"Negan stretched and yawned, "I. Am. Bushed!"He said, in an over-exaggerated manner. "You and I have had a _**helll**_ of a day, shit, you've had a few more than me, so whattaya say about hitting the hay?"

Melrose looked at Negan and then at the single bed that was positioned on the other side of the room and then looked back at him, arching a brow. Negan followed her gaze and then glanced back at her, smirking, "Look, I get it, you don't trust me, you're still getting used to being here, so I'm gonna step out on a limb here and play the gentleman and I'll take the couch, you my dear, can have the bed."He replied, before he stretched himself out on the couch, releasing an exaggerated " _Ahhh"_. Melrose wandered over towards the bed, she made sure he wasn't looking when she removed her jeans, she untied her t-shirt so that it covered her underwear. Melrose pulled back the covers before she climbed into bed, settling herself into the plush matteress. She looked over at Negan and cursed herself for feeling guiltly about taking the mad man's bed.

She sighed,"Look, you...don't have to do that. This is your room, your bed. I don't mind sharing."

Negan sat up on the couch before he rose to his feet, that smirk of his widening, "Oh, babydoll, are you saying you want to sleep with me?"He teased, as he strolled towards her.

"Emphasis on sleep, jackass."Melrose said, before pulling the covers close to her before she laid down. She could feel him climbing into bed, there was about an inch in-between them but she could still sense his warmth, feel his presence.

" _Ahhhhh._ "Negan sighed, "This is much better." Melrose didn't have to look to know that he was wearing that damn smug-ass grin. "Good night, Melrose Grimes."

Her brow furrowed, "Yeah...good night, Negan."


	3. The Oasis

_**I just want to thank everyone for showing some love to this story, it really means a lot, especially since this was just a random idea that I was writing just to write while during a writer's block~ Thanks for all the reviews, alerts, and favorites!~ Don't forget to review!~**_

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Chapter 3: The Oasis

The bright morning sun brought it's light to the world down below, outside of the Sanctuary's fences and high walls lumbered a small horde of Walkers which quickly was taken out as they wandered right into the penetrating metal beams which acted as another type of defense. Melrose Grimes shifted in bed and slowly her eyes fluttered open, focusing on to the red digital numbers. 7:31 A.M. She groaned, finally moving for the first time since she crawled into the bed she had shared with Negan; since she felt he was gone, she stretched out, her body and joints felt stiff since she had refused to move but she didn't regret it. She gradually sat up, tossing the covers to the side as she let her legs hang over the side of the bed, her feet hovering just above the cool cement floor below. Melrose ran a hand through her hair as she continued to wake up, she heard rustling coming from the kitchen and assumed Negan was in there cooking breakfast for she could smell fresh brewing coffee and an aroma she hadn't experienced in a long time, a tired smile tugged at the corner of her lips, "Pancakes."She whispered, as her stomach growled longingly.

Melrose got out of bed and strolled towards the kitchen, peering inside to see Negan flipping pancakes with his back turned towards her. She smiled, she had to admit if he could cook pancakes as delicious as the meal he had prepared last night then she might just let him live a little while longer. She noticed that the table was already sat, in the center was a small white vase which had a few yellow buttercups and red poppies placed inside. The plates were placed neatly across from one another, along with forks and knives for each plate; two matching coffee mugs were perched beside the plates which already had pancakes in the center with melted butter and oozing syrup. Her stomach groaned and she couldn't help but lick her lips. It was clear that Negan had already claimed his spot, for his leather jacket was draped over the back of the adjacent chair.

"Morning."Melrose said, making herself known.

Negan turned around, that coprophagous grin spread across his face. "Good morning babydoll, did you sleep okay?"

"Yeah."She fibbed. Sleeping in the same position all night, curled up in a ball on her side, had really made her body stiff, not to mention Negan's snoring (which wasn't so loud but noticeable) mixing in with her own shallow breathing had made for an interesting night, to say the least; but the mattress was comfortable and the blankets were warm, so she didn't see the use in complaining.

Melrose smirked, "Are you seriously making pancakes?"

"Indeed I am babydoll, I hope that's all right with you."

"It's fucking great actually."

Negan chuckled, "Hope ya don't mind but I added something extra to the batter."

Melrose picked up the coffee mug that sat before her plate and strolled over towards the coffee pot, "Oh? And what might that be?"

"Chocolate chips."

She almost spilled the creamer she was about to add into her coffee and turned towards him, "Did...you say chocolate chips?"

"I sure did, why is that a problem?"Negan asked, as he placed the last of the pancakes a top of her designated pile.

"Those are my fucking favorite! I-I can't even remember the last time I had chocolate chips."Melrose couldn't hide her excitement which caused Negan to laugh,

"I told you Melrose, we have it all here."He smirked, before taking a seat, "Well let's fucking dig in."

"You don't have to tell me twice."Melrose replied, eagerly. She scooped up her fork and knife and cut into the pancakes, she closed her eyes enjoying the first bite as she chewed slowly. _Holy shit...,_ She thought, _there amazing._ , Once she swallowed, a bit of realization pierced her, the last time Melrose had had pancakes, Lori had been alive; a saddened look washed across her face as tears swelled up in her eyes.

"Everything all right? They taste okay?"Negan asked, arching a bushy brow.

"Y-Yeah, there great, Negan..."She sniffled, "it's just the...last time I had pancakes, Lori was...alive."

"Oh shit. I'm sorry, babydoll."

"It's fine, forget about it."Melrose said, "besides, yours are honestly way before than hers...it's just I miss her sometimes."

"Hey, I get it."Negan replied. While they continued eating Melrose noticed Negan reach into the pockets of his jeans, to pull out a piece of folded up paper. He began to unfold it and even though the paper was not facing her, she could see paths and trails and other markings which indicated that it was a map.

"What's that?"

"A map."

Melrose rolled her eyes, "I know it's a map, jackass, I mean a map of what?"

Negan grinned smugly, "Come over here and I'll show you."

Melrose got out of her chair and walked over to him, leaning over his shoulder to get a better look, it was a homemade map of the surrounding areas with the Sanctuary in the center, she quickly spotted a compound circled in bright red marker which read "Alexandria", her mouth ran dry. She continued looking at the map seeing all the other districts that were out there, that were under the Saviors control. _Holy shit...,_ She thought, gulping.

"So, do you know of any of these places, besides your own?"Negan inquired.

"Um...just this one."Mel replied, pointing to the Hilltop which was circled in black ink, "I-I never knew that there were so many communities out there."

Negan sat back in his chair, "Oh you'll be surprised, babydoll, seems like a new pop's up its head every day."He said.

Melrose studied the map, taking notice of any marked paths and shortcuts that led back home to Alexandria, when suddenly, Negan wolf-whistled, "***-Damn, Melrose Grimes, you got legs that go on for _**daaaays**_."He purred, smirking.

Her face turned red as she quickly straightened her stance as she realized she was dressed in only the t-shirt and her undergarments, when she had been bent over gazing at the map, Negan had to have caught a glimpse of her panties. "Oh shit!"She snapped, yanking the ends of the shirt down, "Sorry.."

His grin widened, "You ain't got anything to apologize for, babydoll, I'm just enjoying the view."

Mel narrowed her eyes at him, "Oh shut-up."She said, giving him a shove before she reclaimed her seat so she could finish her breakfast.

"So, you never heard of the Oasis then?"Negan asked,

"No, not until now when I saw it on the map."She replied. The Oasis had been marked on the map with a green marker and it appeared to be the furthest community which seemed to be in the middle of nowhere; there were no forests surrounding it, just a lake and fields of light brown which Melrose assumed was meant to represent dirt.

"Well, would you like to go on a pick-up run with me and the boys?"Negan asked.

Mel glanced up at him and arched a brow, "Really? You'll let me go with you?"She inquired.

Negan returned the expression, "What, you don't want to get away from this place for a while?"He questioned.

"No, I do, it's just I'm surprised your even offering, I-I didn't figure you let your wives leave the Sanctuary."

"You're right, babydoll, I don't, but,"Negan flashed that famous smirk of his, "you said it yourself, you're not like my other wives."

 _Damn right.,_ She thought. "Sure, I'd love to tag along."She smiled, batting her eyelashes at him innocently. Melrose knew that this was the perfect opportunity to see the different routes that lead away from the Sanctuary, she would need this information for when she executed her plan of killing the Savior's leader.

Negan grinned as he rose from his seat, putting on his leather jacket, "Good, go get ready."He said.

"It'll take me like a minute, I just need to get some pants—"

He tsked her, "That's not going to fly, babydoll, ya see, my _**wives**_ have a certain uniform, if you didn't notice, now I don't mind what you wear while you're here, but when your out _**there**_ , I'm gonna need everyone to know that you belong to me."Negan smirked, darkly, "Go see the girls and let them pick you out a nice, pretty dress."

Melrose narrowed her eyes at him, "You've got to be fucking joking."She snapped.

His dark grin widened, "I most certainly am not."He said, towering over her, "I am dead serious, Melrose."

She glared up at him and huffed a sigh, knowing that there was no use in arguing with him. "Fine."She snapped, shoving past him as she stood up from her chair. Melrose left the kitchen with Negan trailing, close, behind her, she gritted her teeth as she could feel him undressing her with his eyes. She grabbed the pair of jeans that she had discarded last night and slipped them on so she could leave the room; Mel glanced up to see Negan had plopped down onto the couch, his feet propped up onto the coffee table, watching her intently. She rolled her eyes as she buttoned the jeans and wandered towards the door,

"Make sure they pick you something... _ **nice**_ , babydoll."Negan smirked.

Melrose glared back at him, flipping him off before she left the room, which just caused him to laugh.

* * *

 _He is such a dick! An unbelievable dick!,_ Melrose screamed in her head as she strolled down the hallway. Anger boiled within her and her nostrils flared in irritation as she finally reached the den of Negan's wives...of which she was now one of. She sighed before she knocked on the door, these women didn't deserve her anger, they had done nothing wrong. "Come in."A chorus of female voices called,

Melrose chewed her bottom lip as she opened the door and wandered inside, "Oh Melrose, welcome sweetie."Tammy greeted, with a tender smile.

She smiled faintly, "Hi Tammy,"She said, with a little wave of her hand.

"Come on in, darlin',"A beautiful woman with mocha skin said as she linked arms with her, "don't be shy, you're one of _**us**_ , now."She smiled, kindly even though her hazel eyes held such sadness.

Those words almost made Melrose sick, _**One of us**_ _..._. She brushed the words off, "Yeah..I guess I am."Mel said, softly, as the woman lead her further into the room.

"Oh forgive me, I'm Olivia."

"Nice to meet you."Melrose said, with a nod and a slight smile. The woman seemed to be in her early thirties, her makeup was done as if by a professional, her dark hair was styled in a short pixie cut. Golden round earrings were worn in her ears and the short black dress she wore hugged every curve.

"So what brings you to us?"Lily asked,

"Um..well Negan is taking me out on a pick-up run and well, looks like I need one of those dresses."Melrose replied, her tone came out a bit harsh, as she pictured Negan's smug-ass smile.

Silence invaded the room, the group of women exchanged looks between one another and then looked back to Melrose, "He's letting you leave the Sanctuary?"Tammy asked.

"Um...yeah."She answered, feeling a bit awkward. "I-I didn't suggest it—"

"Oh sweetie, we know."Tammy said, "He's different with you...there's no hiding that."

A twinge of guilt pricked her heart, she did not ask for his attention, his infatuation; these women had been with him for much longer than she and yet they were not granted half the freedom he was allowing her. "I'm sorry."Melrose said, softly.

The women surround her in a circle of support and kindness, "Honey, you haven't got anything to apologize for."Olivia said, "Now come on, let Lily and I help you pick out something."She said, with a smile.

"Thanks."

Melrose followed Lily and Olivia to the room that she had been in yesterday, once they were inside the room, Olivia lead Melrose over to the large wardrobe and opened it, allowing Melrose to search through the racks. She went through dress after dress and each one was more revealing and skimpy than the last, she wrinkled up her nose, "Do you happen to have anything...um...not so scanty?"Mel asked.

"Afraid not."

"Well, we do have one."Lily replied, pushing the dresses on the hangers apart as if she parted the Red Sea, "I'll warn you though, Melrose, Negan doesn't like it."She warned, as she pulled out a long black velvet dress with black and golden buttons running down the front, the sleeves were a quarter sleeve with shoulder pads.

It was dated but modest and the fact that Negan did not approve made her smirk devilishly, "Perfect."

"I'm not sure this is a good idea, Melrose."Olivia said, concerned.

"Hey, if he wants to get pissy, he should've been more specific, he said, a dress and this...is a dress, so it fits the qualifications,"Mel said, snarkily.

"If you say so, darlin', just...be careful."Olivia said.

Melrose smiled over at her, "I will be...now um..do you mind you if I change here?"

The women smiled, "Of course not."Lily, replied, "If you need any help just let us know."She said, as she and Olivia exited the room. Melrose stripped from her clothes and pulled on the dress, fastening the glistening buttons all the way up to her neck. The sleeves were a little snug but not uncomfortable, the dress spilled down over top of her feet and onto the floor like flowing ink. The velvet felt nice and soft on her skin. She gathered her hair and tied it into a high ponytail before she left the room. "Thanks for the dress." She said, to Olivia and Lily, before saying a brief goodbye to the other wives and wandered down the hallway back towards Negan's chambers with a smirk on her face.

* * *

"What the shit are you wearing?"Negan scowled, looking Melrose up and down as she entered his room.

Melrose couldn't help but smirk at his annoyed and disappointed expression, "A dress, just like you said."She said, smugly.

Negan narrowed his dark eyes at her as he rose from his seat on the couch, "Come here, babydoll."He said, in a low gruffly tone, summoning her with his gloved index finger.

She sighed and reluctantly obeyed, walking over towards him, Negan began circling her like a vulture waiting for its prey to breath it's last. Melrose furrowed her brow at him as he finally paused before her, rubbing a hand on his stubbled chin, "Damn, I've got to shave this _**shiittt**_."He muttered to himself before meeting Melrose's irritated gaze. He shook his head, "Yeah, **this** is ain't gonna cut it, babydoll, this old thang needs some modifications."Negan replied, smirking as he pulled out a switchblade from his pocket.

Melrose's eyes rounded in fear for a moment but quickly returned to a glare as he invaded her personal space, there was absolutely no space between them now, she glared up at him, "What the fuck do you think you're doing?"She snapped.

Negan's smirk widened as he towered over her, "Like I said, it needs some modifications."He said darkly, as he slowly brought the blade to her chest.

Melrose's heart hammered in her chest as fear devoured her whole, she gulped, not knowing what he would do next. Negan chuckled darkly, as he cut the first button, which fell to the floor with a _clink!_ She gasped, her eyes widened in disbelief as he did the same to the second, third, and finally spotted with the fourth. With the buttons no longer there, the dress now revealed her cleavage, "W-What the hell!"Melrose gasped, glowering up at him, her cheeks burning hot.

Negan smirked, "Much better."He said, taking a step back, "Now, let's take care of this mess down here."He said, grasping a hand full of the long velvet material, with a slice of the blade the length was cut away, the dress now ended right above her knees.

Melrose pouted up at him, her hard ice blue eyes drilling into him as he encircled her once again, "Better, much _**better**_!"Negan grinned, his dark eyes drinking her in. "I don't know why you're trying to hide that little hourglass figure of yours, babydoll."He replied, wrapping his arms around her waist to pull her close to him, his hands rested right above her ass.

Melrose's body tensed at his touch as she glowered up at him, "Was that fucking necessary, Negan? You said "dress" and that was a fucking dress!"She retorted.

He leered down at her, "Don't play fucking coy, you know damn well what I meant, Melrose."He snapped.

She pushed out of his embrace, "Fuck you."She spat, "Are you going to have a problem with my combat boots? Or is that not allowed with the uniform?"Mel asked, curtly.

Negan's smirk widened as he arched a bushy brow at her, "I'm not that damn particular."He replied, flashing his insanely white teeth.

Melrose rolled her eyes as she slipped a fresh pair of socks (which she retrieved from the forgotten drawer of clothes in the wardrobe in the wives' room) on to her feet, "Says the dick who just sliced up a dress just to see my tits."She grumbled under her breath as she pulled on her boots and began tying the laces.

"What was that?"He asked, narrowing his eyes at her.

"Nothing."She grinned,

Negan chuckled as he walked towards her, closing the distance between them, "You and that damn mouth."He grinned, smugly, his eyes flicker with a dark hunger, craving her.

 _Keep dreaming, asshole,_ She thought, staring intently at him with hard eyes. Negan leaned down towards her, his face inches away from hers, her heart pounded within her, knowing that he was going to kiss her; but, he just stood there for a moment, causing her to fidget in anticipation. She chewed the inside of her cheek as she felt a blush rising on her face; Melrose hated to admit it but a tiny part of her longed to feel his lips against hers again and that side of her made her sick. _What the fuck am I thinking?_ She wondered, ashamed of herself, feeling guilty and saddened as she thought of Jase. Negan cupped her chin with his gloved hand causing her to meet his gaze before his lips crushed against hers. She almost lost her balanced but she quickly grasped a hold of Negan's forearm to steady herself as he deepened the kiss, his free hand clutched the small of her back in a possessive manner. Melrose hated herself as she lost herself in the kiss, almost melting in his arms; an image of Jase appeared in her mind's eye, her fingernails dug into Negan's skin as she forced him away, trying to recapture her breath, turning away from ashamed of herself.

"***-Damn, Melrose Grimes, you sure are a sweet little thang."

"Don't..."She warned, narrowing her eyes at him. She sighed, _How...how can I possibly enjoy this?_ She asked herself. _You're doing whatever it takes to survive, remember that, Jase will understand._ A voice inside her replied, _Yes...but I shouldn't enjoy it._ She thought, swallowing her shame, _I'm betraying Jase...,_ Melrose thought, as her stomach fluttered at the thought of Negan's touch, a part of her desired more. She forced that feeling away, refusing to give in to that side. _Your surviving._ The voice said back.

"Look, babydoll, I'm sorry—"

"Just...forget it, okay?"Mel said, bluntly.

"All right."Negan said, with a shrug of his shoulders. "Come on, we need to be heading out anyway."He said, making his way towards the doors and Melrose followed behind him.

They made their way down the numerous stairwells and cut through the Marketplace which was bustling with people purchasing items with the points they earned. "So, how long does it take to get to the Oasis? It seemed like it was pretty far according to your map."Melrose said,

"About 4-5 hours, give or take, depends on who's driving."Negan replied.

Melrose made note of that. As they walked past the throngs of Saviors and workers, one by one, they knelt down on one knee, each bowing their head as Negan passed them, and silence invaded the room. A chill ran down Mel's spine at that moment as she realized how much power Negan had over these people. They immediately fell into line once they caught a glimpse of their leader.

Negan had them so brainwashed, so dependent on him, that they would literally do whatever he asked; the hair on the back of her neck stood on ends, _Holy fuck..,_ She gulped in her mind, as a feeling of fear and uneasiness washed over her. "Um...do they always do this?"Melrose asked, sheepishly.

Negan glanced over at her and grinned darkly, "If I want them to, they do."He turned on his heels, perching Lucille over his shoulder, "As you were!"He bellowed and instantly each one rose to their feet, noise once again filled the room as each person went back to about their business as if nothing had ever happened. Melrose gazed on his disbelief, a glimmer of fear in her eyes, Negan's smile widened, "Pretty cool, huh?"

She narrowed her eyes over at him, "I wouldn't say that."Mel snapped, walking past him, making her ways towards the door that led outside.

Negan quickly caught up with her as they wandered outside, the sun was almost blinding compared to the dim lighting of the building. It was nice to breathe in the fresh morning air after being cooped up inside for so long. They strolled past the chicken coops and gardens, the workers tending the fields and gatherings eggs, quickly stopped what they were doing and went to their knees, bowing their heads in unison as Negan and Melrose walked by. She ignored the fear that was gnawing at her, and she refused to look at those who were kneeling, _This is insane._

"Oh come on now babydoll, you have to admit it's pretty impressive."

"Only if you admit that you're an asshole."

"Well I know I am, darlin'."Negan chuckled.

Melrose rolled her eyes which only made him laugh more. They approached the fences that lead outside into the graveled courtyard, where her little brawl took place yesterday; from here she could see about six large moving trucks, a black Jeep, and an old beat up rusted Chevrolet pick up truck were parked in a convoy, a group consisting of about forty to fifty Saviors, stood waiting beside the trucks, guns in hand, ready to leave. Once the gate was opened for them and they began walking towards the trucks, Melrose noticed an annoying familiar face, "Oh great,"She grumbled, spotting Negan's right-hand man, Simon, grinning that creepy toothy grin at her, "he's coming with us?"

"What ol' Simon? You got something against the guy?"

"He's a creep,"Melrose said, curtly, remembering his wandering hands as he patted her down for weapons just the day before.

She shook the thought away and narrowed her eyes at Simon, even from this distance she could feel his eyes looking her up and down, his gaze focusing on one place; Melrose folded her arms against her chest trying to shield herself, she felt so exposed thanks to Negan's modifications to her dress. Negan glanced over at her and then over to his right man, he narrowed his dark eyes at Simon once he noticed where he was gawking, Simon quickly turned to the group of Saviors and began barking orders, as they approached the led truck. "Has he been inappropriate to you, babydoll?"Negan asked, in a grim tone.

"It doesn't matter."She said, opening the passenger side door which Negan slammed shut, leaving his arm blocking her against the vehicle. Melrose had jumped startled at his abrupt actions and turned to face him, a dark serious look had washed over his face, "Was he inappropriate to you? Did he touch you?"

"It was before I became your...wife?"Melrose replied, taken aback by his sudden possessiveness, "What does it matter?"

"Oh it matters, I don't care when it happened, your **my** wife now."He said, intensely, a scowl on his face. Negan looked over to where his second in command was standing, "Hey Simon, come here!"He shouted, with a nod of his head.

Simon began making his way over towards them, the closer he got, Melrose noticed that Negan's hand (which was still placed on the door of the truck) had formed into a fist, his knuckles turning white. Melrose's eye darted back over to Simon, he was a middle-aged, lanky man, his brow seemed large thanks to his thinning hair and widow's peak which was thinning as well; his hair and bushy horseshoe mustache were once black but were now graying. He was wearing a light gray button up short sleeved shirt, paired with fading jeans and boots, strapped about his waist overlaying his worn brown belt, was a gun holster with a gun secured on each hip.

"Yeah?"Simon asked, with a crooked grin as he walked up to them.

Negan rolled his head over to face his right-hand man, his dark eyes narrowed at him as his scowl intensified if looks could kill, then Simon would have been dead a million times over. "My new wifey here, tells me that _**yooou**_ were being a little touchy feely with her the day I showed her prick of dad and his people whose boss...is that true, Simon?"

Simon's eyes darted over to Melrose who narrowed her eyes at him, he quickly grinned, his expressive brow furrowed, "I...don't recall, I, well I mean, we had to do a pat down, take what weapons they had, and I just happened to be the one who searched her."

"Bull shit."Mel snapped, glowering at him.

He returned the expression, "Hey now—"

Negan slammed his fist into the door of the truck once more which caused them both to jump, " **ENOUGH!** " He roared, angrily, placing himself between Melrose and Simon. He shook his head and scoffed, his lips curling into that famous smirk, "Simon, look, you're my right-hand man, I trust you, but listen, I don't appreciate those googly eyes you were making at Melrose, here."He said, flaring his nostrils as the smirk quickly vanished and his eyes narrowed at his lackey.

Simon's wide toothy grin spread across his face, "Oh, is that what this is about?"He asked, "I was just admiring her dress—"

"I know damn well what the hell you were admiring."Negan snapped, "Don't let me catch you doing it again, Simon."He warned, jabbing the end of Lucille into the man's chest, "If I see you doing it again, if I even **think** you are doing it, I'll gouge out your ***-Damn eyes."

Melrose gasped, standing frozen in fear, at the threat that Negan had just made against one of his own, she knew he was serious, and Simon knew it too, for his face completely drained of color, as Negan finally lowered Lucille back to his side. "Do I make myself clear, Simon?"Negan asked, arching a brow.

Simon regained his composure, a crooked smile formed on his lips, "Crystal."

"Good. Now get in the ***-Damn truck, we're running behind schedule here."Negan snapped.

Melrose watched as Simon walked around to the driver's side of the truck, Negan turned around facing her, she glanced up at him, "You know, you didn't have to do that."She said, softly.

"Yes I did, babydoll."He said, bluntly, still on the edge of anger, "Look, if you ever have any problems like **that** , you fucking tell me. My guys know the rules but sometimes well...they have their heads up their asses, so you be sure to tell me, okay?"

"Y-Yeah."Melrose said.

Negan smirked, "Good. Come on boys, let's head out!"He bellowed, swinging open the truck door and climbed inside, Melrose climbed inside behind him and shut the door. Simon turned the key in the ignition and the truck rumbled to life, they bounced about the graveled road leaving the Sanctuary behind, the convey making its way towards the Oasis.

* * *

The truck bumped along the roads passing forests and fields, the car ride was long and awkward no one spoke a word, the only sound was the rumbling engine and the faint classic rock that Negan had popped into the vehicle's dodgy CD player. Melrose wished she had grabbed her book, but knew it would only be a distraction from her taking notice of the roads and paths they were taking. She was unfamiliar with these roads which now were just barren fields of brown, she sighed, pressing her head against the cool glass of the window and stared out onto the land. She noticed a bird flying high in the clear blue skies and grew a bit jealous, she wished that she had wings so that she could fly away from here and go back home to Alexandria. A few Walkers stumbled about in the distant rolling fields; she squeezed her eyes shut and groaned, "Please tell me that we're almost there."

Negan chuckled, "We should be there in about another hour, right Simon?"He asked, rolling his head over to his right-hand man.

"Right that is, Negan."

Negan smirked, "I told ya it depended on who drives, damn Simon, you're getting us there in record time."He mocked, giving the man a playful nudge.

Simon flashed that toothy grin, "I do what I can."

Melrose rolled her eyes and sighed again, staring back out the window, watching the world, or what was left of it, pass them by.

* * *

Melrose continued to gaze out the window, bored and tired, she fought to keep her eyelids open, the landscape was much to be desired out this far. The fields or what once were fields were now mostly dirt and dead yellowed tall grass, she was about to doze off when Negan nudged her. She looked up at him, an annoyed expression on her face as that smirk spread across his face, he pointed to something outside of the windshield; Melrose turned to see that in the barren distance they were approaching a great walled community. As they drew nearer she could see that the walls that secured the place were constructed of the same materials as the walls that surrounded Alexandria. She could see why it had been called the Oasis, the colorful safety walls and the nearby lake which glistened in the sunlight, were the only signs of life in the wastelands that surrounded it. Simon drove the truck up to the gates, Melrose could see in the side mirror the rest of the trucks following behind them, she swallowed hard, even though she was forced against her will to be with the Saviors, it was rather intimidating to see the convoy approaching behind them, she could only imagine what the people inside the Oasis were feeling.

Even from here, Melrose could see that above the gates stood two makeshift towers, a man and a woman stood as watchmen, she noticed them give a signal to whoever was down below and the gates began to part, finally opening completely, allowing them entrance. The line of trucks drove inside, parking in a single file line, once the last vehicle was within the safe walls of the Oasis, two men pushed the gates back closed. Simon cut the ignition and exited the truck. Melrose followed suit, with Negan following behind her, "Welcome to the Oasis, Melrose Grimes."He smirked, "So, what do ya think?"

"It's big...bigger than Alexandria anyway."She replied. She could tell that in the world before the outbreak this place now called the Oasis had once been a small town; houses and old shops lined the streets, in the distance she could see an old abandoned school building, most likely used now as extra living quarters. The walls seemed to go on forever, she wondered how long it took for them to build this place into the safe haven it now was. Melrose pulled herself from her thoughts as she noticed a group had formed to greet the Saviors, the man in front who, she guessed was the leader, had a nervous look in his eyes behind his glasses, as they neared them.

"N-Negan, we...we weren't expecting you."The man stammered,

Negan smirked, "Well I was just out in the neighborhood, Ronnie, and decided to drop on by and see how you lovely folks are doing."

"W-we're doing...well."

"As well as we can manage...you're taking everything and leaving us scraps!"A man in the group snapped, glaring darts into the Saviors.

"Hey now, we're all friends here, let's just get rid of that hostility, eh pal?"Simon warned a dark look flickered in his eyes, as he placed a hand on one of his guns.

"Now Simon, there's no need for that."Negan said, in an overdramatic tone that got under Mel's skin.

"Are...are you here for a pick-up?"The man named Ronnie asked,

"Indeed I am, Ronnie, so what have ya got for me?"Negan asked, his smirk widening.

"Not much I'm afraid—"

"Mhm."Negan grunted, stroking his chin with his gloved hand, a serious look shadowed his face, "Simon, he said the same thing last time we stopped by, didn't he?"

"He most certainly did."

"Mhmmm."He grunted again, "The last few pick-ups have been pretty _**shittty**_ , Ronnie, is something going on?"

"Well..."

"Come on now, you can talk to me."Negan said, wrapping an arm around the man's shoulders, "What's going on?"

"It's just...it's getting harder to go and scavenge for things...since...since you took all of our guns."

Melrose's body tensed at those words, _H-he's taken all of their guns?_ She thought, a seed of fear sprouting within her.

"Well, you know why I had to do that, remember that l **ittle** outburst?"

"Y-Yes...we all remember..."

"Good, well, let my guys here take a look around at what you fine folks, _**doooo**_ have, and then we'll be on our way."

"Okay..."

Melrose watched as the throng of Saviors wielding guns made their way through the group of people, to take whatever they had. She felt sorry for these people, their faces a mix of anger, fear, and helplessness. _So...this is how it's going to be...,_ She thought. She was seeing first hand how the Saviors interacted with the ones they made "deals" with, they could come in whenever they wanted and take whatever they pleased and there was nothing you could do. This is what was coming for Alexandria—Melrose clenched her jaw, her hands balled into fists at the thought.

"Melrose,"Negan's voice said, she looked over at him, "why don't you take a look around, while Simon and I have a good ol' chat with Ronnie here."He said giving the man a hard pat on the back.

"Chat...about w-what?"Ronnie asked, nervously.

"We need to discuss how you lot can improve, instead of us wasting our time coming _**alllll**_ the way out to this place for your shitty seconds."Simon snapped.

Negan chuckled, "Calm down, Simon, let us have a drink with the man first before we discuss our business."

Melrose felt sorry for the man, he was clearly terrified and Negan was just toying with him. Like all the others, who lived here in the Oasis, Ronnie was frail and it looked like he hadn't slept in a few weeks, due to the dark circles under his eyes. He wore thick black-rimmed glasses, his red faded plaid shirt was tattered in some places and his jeans were in the same shape.

"Will you be okay on your own, babydoll?"He asked,

She narrowed her eyes at him, "I know how to take care of myself."Mel retorted, "But...,"She pressed herself against him and looked up at him from underneath her long, dark lashes, "I'd do even better if you let me have my knife back."Melrose replied, a flirtatious smirk curled on her lips.

Negan arched a brow at her, that smug-ass grin spread across his face, he placed his free hand on her hip while the other held the bloodied barbwire bat at his side. "***-Damn, babydoll, those eyes can work some voodoo but, I'm afraid that I'm gonna have to decline your little proposition."He replied, his thumb rubbing her side which caused her to shiver.

"Why?"She scowled up at him,

"Because we're still getting to know each other, Melrose, and...being the little badass that you are, I don't know if I can trust you yet."

Melrose narrowed her eyes at him, _You fucking prick!_ , She retaliated in her mind, anger bubbling up within her. She shoved herself off of him, her expression clearly amusing him, "Fine whatever, asshole."She spat, turning on her heels and walking away, hearing Negan chuckle before she made it out of earshot.

* * *

Melrose strolled down the streets of the Oasis, seeing Negan's men busting down the doors of the houses and coming back out with boxes of various goods that they deemed worthy, while the people of the Oasis helplessly looked on. She lowered her gaze, feeling sorry for them, she was thankful to be out from under Negan's thumb, but only to see all of this...it just made her feel sad and angry.

She had made it past the school building and continued treading forward, she didn't know where she was going, she was just glad to be able to be on her own. Melrose glanced up and noticed a large stone building which looked to have been long neglected even before the outbreak, in faded letters was the word "library", some of the windows had been broken out completely or were terribly cracked; the large wooden doors hung open as if the hinges no longer worked properly. The ivy shrubs that were growing on either side of the stone steps which led to the door, were nearly overtaking the steps, there vines winding and twisting about everything. Melrose glanced over her shoulder to see no one was paying her much attention, she looked back to the abandoned library and began to climb the steps, before sneaking inside.

Inside was dank and dusty, streams of sunlight shadowed the creaky hardwood floor, large, towering dusty shelves were piled with long-forgotten books, some shelves had become dilapidated, there books spilling out onto the floor. In the center of the room was a long table covered in layers of dust and cobwebs, a faded and frayed area rug was underneath the table, the chairs surrounding it were either sitting upright or knocked over, laying on the floor. Melrose entered further inside, each step, made her cautious as she did not know if the floor would give way; she looked up towards the upper level of the library seeing that on either side of the vast room was a staircase that led to the dark upper level, she thought it best to stay on the lower level, once she noticed the many broken steps. She slowly strolled about the room, on one wall was a large faded map, of she guessed was once this town, she moved past it and began browsing the shelves. _Ccccccreak._ Melrose froze at the sudden sound and looked over her shoulder, seeing no one, her brow furrowed, "Is...someone there?"She called out, but no one replied. She looked about the room once more before turning back around focusing back on the books, Mel pulled a book out of its sleeping place on the shelf and thumbed through the yellowed papers, the smell of its musty papers tickled her nose. She placed it back and moved on to the next one, she pulled another one from the shelf when something caught her eye, there was something behind these books. Melrose shoved the books on the shelf aside, and there on its side was a small and narrow lockbox; she carefully pulled the box out, noticing the chipping paint and the rusting lock. "What is this...?"She muttered under her breath,

"GET AWAY FROM THERE!" A sudden voice screamed, hysterically.

Melrose nearly jumped out of her skin, the box slipped from her hands and clatter to the floor, she spun around to see a middle-aged woman dashing towards her, the woman scooped up the box and began rubbing it tenderly. Melrose took a step backward, "I-I'm sorry, I didn't mean any harm."She said softly,

The woman glared up at her with crazed green eyes, "You..."She spat, "you are with **them**!"She shouted angrily, as she rose to her feet the box clutched to her bosom. Just like the other people of the Oasis, this woman was frail, dark circles were under her eyes, she had short pale blonde hair and was dressed in a worn gray sweater which was fading, her jeans were dirtied and had holes in the knees. "You can't have this!"

"I-I don't want it...look, lady, I'm not taking anything, I was just looking at the books."Melrose said, carefully, it was clear that this woman was unstable and on edge.

"You're a liar! I saw you with **HIM**!"She bellowed, "You're...you're one of his whores!"

At those words an anger erupted within her, Melrose narrowed her eyes at the woman, "Alright, let's get one thing fucking straight here, I am **not** a whore, lady! He kidnapped me! H-He took me away from my family!"Melrose retorted.

The lady's expression slowly softened, "So..so you aren't one of them...y-you're just like us."She said.

"Yeah...pretty much."

She abruptly approached Melrose, who took a step backward, as the woman grasped a hold of her wrist, squeezing it for dear life, "T-Then you can help us...you can kill Negan!"She said, cheerily, a psychotic grin spread across her face.

Melrose freed her arm from the woman's grasp and took another step backward, "I-I can't..."Mel said. Yes, she was planning to kill Negan, but now...she couldn't do it now, her plan was to earn his trust and strike when he least expected it; doing it now, unarmed with his Saviors about, she'd never stand a chance.

"You...you have to! You have to kill him!"The woman pleaded.

"Look, I wish I could help, really I do...but I can't."Melrose replied, "I need to go."She said, an uneasy feeling was flooding through her, causing her hair to stand on end. _Get the fuck out of here, Mel._

"YOU HAVE TO!"The woman screamed, tears were now streaming down her face, "Negan is taking everything...we hardly have any food, my boy...my sweet, sweet boy, he's starving!"

A twinge of guilt pricked Melrose's heart at the mention of the woman's kid, she instantly thought of Carl and Judith, would the Saviors leave them just as bare? She could see the desperation in this woman's eyes and knew that if she were in her shoes, she would be doing the same to keep Judith and Carl fed. But...she wasn't in her situation. Her sudden coldness stunned her, but what could she do? "I can't."She replied bluntly, before turning away, walking towards the door.

She heard the lady growl in frustration and suddenly Melrose was yanked backward by her ponytail, she gasped in shock and pain, the woman had pulled her hair so hard that for a moment she thought she had been scalped. A rage was rising up within her as she spun around, glowering at the woman who had dropped the lockbox to the floor and began flailing her hands about, Melrose quickly lifted her arms to block the pathetic attack; she made contact with Melrose's arms and shoulders a few times, bringing a sting pain to her skin but she had felt worse. "Stop! Look, I don't want to fight you—"She tried to say when suddenly the woman's ringed fist made contact with Mel's mouth, she instantly felt her lip slice open, tasting blood as she licked her bottom lip. Melrose lifted a hand to wipe her mouth, red covered the back of her hand, her nostrils flared as she glared up at the woman, "Alright, bitch you want a fight then you've fucking got one."She snarled. She kneed the woman in the gut which knocked the wind out of her, the woman buckled to her knees gasping for air, Melrose's brow furrowed, guilt gnawed at her, "I really don't want to fight you...just stay down."

The woman narrowed her eyes up at her as she screamed again, rising to her feet, attempting to strike Melrose again, but Mel dodged her attack and punched the woman square in the nose, hearing it c _ccrunch_. The woman screamed as blood poured from her nose, she tried again and this time Melrose punched her in the eye and then kneed her in the gut once again, the woman went down onto the floor. "Fucking stay down!"Melrose begged her,

But the woman was relentless, she lunged upward and tackled Melrose to the ground, screaming and yelling like a mad woman as she scratched and swatted at her, Melrose shielded her face with her arms, and began searching around for some kind of weapon, which she spotted the lock box just out of reach; Melrose stretched her arm out and pawed at the box finally touching the edge of it, bringing it towards her, she picked it up and whacked the lady the head with it, the metal edge sliced the woman's forehead open, but she continued to attack. Melrose hit her again, harder this time, cutting the woman's scalp, which began to stain her pale blonde hair red; she was about to smack her again when two male Saviors grabbed the woman harshly by the arms and drug the woman off of her. The woman screamed and cried and yelled wildly, Melrose's heart was hammering in her chest, her breathing coming out in labored puffs as she slowly sat up, her hair falling into her face, as she noticed Negan scowling at the woman, with a terrified Ronnie at his side.

Adrenaline and anger were coursing through Melrose's veins but now, as she saw the dark, pissed off, gleam burning in Negan's eyes, another emotion sank its teeth into her—fear. Negan entered the room, Lucille perched over his shoulder, his boots clanked against the floorboards which made them creak, he glowered at the woman who continued to scream and cry, and then he moved his gaze to Melrose, for a moment they locked eyes under she quickly lowered her. He approached her and held out a hand to her, she glanced up at him and slowly took it with her trembling hand. "What the fuck was going on in here?"Negan asked, Melrose didn't answer and the woman just continued to wail. "Oh, are we really going to play the quiet game?"He snapped, " **WHAT THE FUCK WAS GOING ON HERE?** "He bellowed, his furious tone echoed off the walls and caused everyone to jump, he began to laugh, "Oh somebody better fucking answer—"

"Okay..."Melrose said, softly.

Negan made his way back over towards her, towering over her, "What happened, babydoll?"He asked, darkly.

Fear now completely consumed her, "S-She...um,"She paused, glancing over to the woman who continued to bawl and shriek, a twinge of guilt surged through her, if she spoke up, there was no telling what Negan would do to this woman. _But...better her than you, right?_ A voice said in the back of her mind, "She..."

The woman's screaming was getting on Negan's nerves, he rolled his eyes, "For Christ's sake, shut her up!"He roared, as one of the Saviors who had her restrained smack her hard across the face, it didn't silence her completely, her cries now were just soft sobs. "Go on."Negan said, placing his attention back to Melrose,

She gulped, "She...she was trying to convince me to kill you."Melrose replied, shakily.

Negan raised an eyebrow, his eyes darted over to the woman and then back to Melrose, "Oh _**realllly**_ now, and...are you going to?"He asked, sternly.

"Hell no."Melrose quickly responded,

Negan's brow furrowed, "Let's get this hair out of your pretty face."He said, gently taking the hair that was hanging down in Melrose's face and tucking it behind her ear,

 _Oh shit.._ , She thought, fearfully, _if he sees my lip...he's gonna flip._ Melrose quickly lowered her gaze but Negan had already caught a glimpse, his eyes narrowed as he placed a hand on her chin, forcing her to face him, his nostrils flared in anger as he spun around towards the woman. "Negan, it's not that big a deal—"

"Ohhh, it is a very **BIG** fucking deal, babydoll."Negan snarled, like a mad dog. "Did you do this?"He questioned, as he stormed towards the woman, her only reply was the continuous sobbing, " **DID YOU FUCKING DO THIS?** "

"Y-Yes..."The woman cried,

Negan chuckled darkly, "Oh, oh, honey, **THAT** , what you did, is a **BIG** fucking no-no!"He ranted, "You...you bruised my little rose, I..I don't even hit my wives, **SO WHAT MAKES YOU THINK THAT YOU CAN**?"

Melrose along with everyone else, jolted at Negan's sudden loudness, rage fuming from him as he began to pace before the woman like a madman. He paused, sighing as he rubbed his chin, "What's your name, honey?"He growled, in a low gruff voice. The woman's answer again was her constant maddened blubbering.

Negan rolled his eyes, an annoyed look on his face, he looked over to Ronnie, leaning back as he did so, "Ronnie, what's her ***-Damn name?"

"H-her name is...B-B-Beatrice."

Negan wrinkled up his nose, "Beatrice..."He said, in an almost mocking tone, he leaned towards the woman, "you got a nickname?"

The woman slowly met his hardened gaze, "My grandmother used to call me...B-Birdie."She whimpered,

Negan nodded as he straightened his stance, sighing deeply in an overdramatic manner, rubbing his chin once again, "Ahhhh, Birdie, _**yooooou**_ , have got me in quite the fucking predicament."He said, in a serious tone, "ya see, I, well I'm not found of beating the shit out of women and kids, now, a man, fuck, I could bash their skulls in all _**daaaay loooong**_! But...what you have done...that shit can't fly. Not one bit...so I'm afraid...your gonna have to be punished."He said, clutching Lucille tightly.

Melrose's heart skipped a beat, as her eyes rounded in fear, "No...No!"She shouted, practically crashing into Negan, grasping a hold of his arm, "Please Negan...don't..."She begged, her voice trembling. Negan shrugged her off of him, narrowing his eyes at her, before clenching the barbwire bat tighter, his knuckles turning white, "Please...s-she's got a kid!"Melrose shrieked.

"Not my fucking problem."

Melrose's eyes widened in horror at his cold, unfeeling tone, Negan raised the barbwire bat into the air, "No!"Melrose screamed, as Lucille was bashed against Beatrice's skull, her crying had morphed to sickening gurgles as she collapsed to the floor. Melrose raised a trembling hand to her mouth as she cried, being reminded of Glenn and Abraham, but unlike them, Beatrice never got up. Tears streamed down her cheeks as Negan continued his assault, what once was the woman's head was now bloodied mush and brains, her hands twitched in a ghostly movement for a moment, until her limbs grew still. Ronnie fell to his knees sobbing and trembling, while Melrose was frozen solid in fear. Her blood ran cold in her veins, as tears blurred her vision, she squeezed her eyes shut as Negan continued to pummel Beatrice's body even though she was long dead. Bile rose in the back of her throat, leaving her mouth with the bitter and burning taste, she forced it down, as a flash of Abraham and Glenn once again flashed on the back of her eyelids, causing her heart to ache. She sobbed, her legs buckled beneath her, the old wooden floor scrapping the flesh on her knees.

Negan finally ceased, breathing hard as he tried to recapture his breath, blood and mushed flesh and shattered bone fragments littered the floor in piles, it looked as if Beatrice never had a head. Melrose sat trembling frozen in shock and fear, her tearstained eyes locked on to Beatrice's corpse. Negan looked over at her, his darkened expression softened as he approached her, "Ahhh, shit babydoll, this...this must feel fucking familiar...damn, I'm sorry."He said, in a serious tone, reaching out to stroke her cheek,

Melrose smacked his hand away, glaring up at him as she scrambled to her feet, "DON'T FUCKING TOUCH ME!"She screamed, before running out of the room.

Melrose sobbed as she stumbled down the stone steps of the library, running away, wanting to forget what she had just witnessed...again. She couldn't get Beatrice's body out of her mind, it was now added to the still raw and painful memory of what happened to Abraham and Glenn just a few day ago. Melrose slowed her pace, choking back a hard sob as she reached a grassy area just a few feet away from the abandoned library. She sank to her knees as she broke down, tears streamed down her cheeks, dripping off her chin onto the earth beneath her. She felt a wave of nauseous wash over her once again feeling bile rising up in the back of her throat, she tried to swallow but it was too late, she was already gagging and spiting up in the grass before her; leaving a vile burning bitter taste behind which made her throat raw. The tears continued to fall, Melrose hunched over and bawled, _This...is my fault._

"Shit."

Melrose looked up to see Negan walking towards her, his face twisted in what looked like remorse, not for what he had done but for how she was handling it. A bottle of water was in his hand to which he offered her, Mel took it, gulping it down to rinse out that bitter taste. He squatted down beside her, "Shhh, take is easy, babydoll."He said softly, placing a hand on her back,

She tensed at his touch and swatted his hand away, "I said don't touch me."Melrose growled, causing Negan to narrow his eyes at her. "You...you didn't have to do that."She said, under her breath lowering her gaze.

"You think I enjoyed doing that...I didn't, but she broke a rule—"

"Oh fuck you and your ***-Damn rules, Negan! You think I've never had a busted lip before? She wasn't one of your brainwashed goons!...what the fuck are you called the Saviors for if all you do is kill people?!"Melrose retorted,

"Some people don't want to be saved."

Melrose scoffed at how heartless and unbothered he was, "You're a fucking psycho...what...what about her kid, huh?"

"H-her son is dead..." said a small timid voice, Melrose turned to see Ronnie coming towards them, carrying that lockbox in his hands, the lock now was broken.

Melrose's brow furrowed, "W-what? But...but...she told me—"

"Joshua died a few weeks ago, he went out with us to gather supplies and...and got bit."Ronnie whimpered, "Beatrice, n-never came to terms with it...it broke her...this was Josh's treasure box. He hid it away, afraid...afraid the Saviors would find it."

He slowly opened the lid, allowing Melrose to gaze inside: she spotted three toy dinosaurs and an old hot wheels toy with two missing tires. There were a few faded and crumbled photos of Beatrice and her son, he appeared to be nine or ten years old, he was the spitting image of his mother. A few old coins were scattered about the bottom, along with a crumpled sheet of paper, written in crayon were the words "Josh's treasure box".

Melrose swallowed hard, taking everything in, the woman Beatrice, it was clear that her grief had made her unstable, _She was only trying to keep his treasure safe_..., She thought sadly, "Oh god..."Mel whispered,

"Ya see, what I did was merciful, she was clearly a ***-Damn mess, and now she's reunited with her little boy again."Negan smirked,

Melrose glared over at him, "Everything's a fucking joke to you, isn't?"She snapped, before she stood to her feet, storming away.

* * *

The Saviors were loading up the trucks with the supplies they had taken from the people of the Oasis, Melrose was leaned against the led truck, her arms folded across her chest; she had cried so much that the skin under her eyes had become red and sore from wiping, she narrowed her eyes at Negan as he and his pack of bastards were taking everything these people had, leaving them with slim pickings.

"Now, before I go, I've got a proposition to make,"Negan began, Melrose arched a brow in suspicion, "Let's face it, things are getting pretty phitty here, so I'm gonna put a little deal on the table—which of you fine folks wants to come back to the Sanctuary and work for me, there's plenty of food, water, hell we got it a **llllll**...or you can stay here in the Oasis and continue providing for me...but, you're gonna have a _**loooot**_ of catching up to do because this...this shit...is sad."He said, in a bone-chilling, serious tone.

Melrose watched as a shadow of helplessness washed over the people of the Oasis, they exchanged grim looks with one another and then slowly one by one the men and women trudged out of the crowd, desperation in their eyes, leaving behind about thirty people. A ball formed in the pit of Mel's stomach as some people began to cry, she walked over to Negan, grasping his forearm. "What the hell are you doing?"She hissed, narrowing her eyes at him, "You have thousands back at the Sanctuary—"

"I'm giving them a choice, babydoll, they don't want to come, then they don't fucking have to."Negan snapped.

Melrose scoffed, "A choice? You're taking everything they have! What other choice do they fucking have?"

Negan returned her pissed off expression, as he towered over her, a dark look in his eyes; Melrose took a step backward and Negan abruptly clamped a strong hand on to her face, forcing her to look upon the people of the Oasis who chose to stay behind. "Look Melrose, do you see these sorry shits lining up to leave? I gave them a fucking choice!"He growled, "And they made the choice to stay."

Her heart thumped loudly within her, her pulse echoing in her ears, as he shoved her away; she placed a hand on to her jawline, Negan's grip had been so strong that now her face ached dully. _Bastard.,_ She thought.

Once the trucks were loaded up with the supplies and the new recruits, the Saviors began to climb into the vehicles, the engines roaring to life. Melrose opened the door to the truck that she had ridden in when Negan forced it shut with his elbow. "Not so fast, babydoll."

"What, are we going to fucking walk back?"She snapped,

Negan chuckled, "You'll see."He replied, his voice dark and low.

 _What the fuck does me him by that?_ Melrose wondered, a sudden chill slithered down her spine. The trunks pulled out of the safe walls of the Oasis and each one stopped a few feet away, Negan with Melrose following behind him, caught up with the trucks as the gates to the Oasis were shut, sealing it's citizens within and leaving them out.

A group of Saviors hopped out of a few of the trucks and strolled up to the back of one, designated vehicle, pulling open the metal door, to retrieve something from the back. Melrose arched a brow as she watched carefully, to see what the Saviors would pull out—all color drained from her face as a gasp caught in Mel's throat as she saw the group of the Saviors pulling out what looked to be military type weapons, with a box of grenades.

The group of Saviors approached Negan, "We're ready when you are, Negan."One of the guy's said,

"Fire away."Negan replied, with a nod,

Melrose froze as fear engulfed her, "No! Y-You can't do this!"She shouted, her voice on the verge of breaking.

Negan stared down at her, a dark smirk spread across his face, "Yeah I can."He said, grimly.

Melrose's eyes rounded in fright, _All...those people.,_ She thought, tears stinging the back of her eyes, as Negan's goons readied the grenade launchers, "Nooo!"She screamed, lunging forward but was quickly pulled back by Negan, right as the first explosion occured— **BOOM!** —a loud ringing filled her ears as she jumped startled from the blast, as her hearing returned she could hear screams and cries as more grenades flew over, bringing nothing but destruction and death.

"Y-You were planning this the whole time, weren't you?!"Melrose retorted.

His response was his widening smirk. The bombing continued, the screams echoed through the skies along with flames and billows of black smoke. The Oasis was crumbling as Negan forced Melrose inside the truck, sandwiching her between Simon and himself; she sobbed into her hands as the convoy drove away, leaving what was left of the Oasis to smolder into nothing, a horde of Walkers surrounded the rubble, consuming the flesh of the fallen.

* * *

Melrose had dozed off during the ride back to the Sanctuary, only to be plagued with the horrific images of Beatrice's death and the bombing of the Oasis. Ghostly screams still seemed to ring in her ears—the images began to flash in her mind's eyes as if someone had pressed fast forward button on a remote on the fastest setting possible—the images were moving so fast now that Melrose began to feel nauseous and dizzy, the screams had morphed to terrifying slowed down incoherent noises which made her hair stand on end. As the images continued she caught glimpses of Glenn and Abraham's heads being splattered by Lucille and Negan's powerful blows...

She didn't know what jerked her awake, the haunted screams and sickening gurgling sounds, or Negan's coarse hand brushing against her arm. She quickly moved away from him, her head was swimming and her neck ached from the position she had been sleeping in within the truck's cab. Negan smirked down at her, "You sure did make yourself comfortable, snuggling up against me—"

"Shut the fuck up."Melrose snapped, shoving her away past him as she exited the vehicle,

"Damn, babydoll, what's got you in such a pissy mood."

"Are you shitting me?"Mel scoffed, anger boiling within her as she balled her hands into fists at her side. _Unbelievable ass!_ She thought.

He closed the distance, "Why don't you change that little tone of your's, Melrose?"

She narrowed her eyes up at him, "Get the hell away from me...and while we're at it, I want my own fucking room, now!"

Negan's smirk widened and his eyes narrowed as he stared down at her, "No can do babydoll, ya see since I acquired some new help...we, your gonna have to wait your turn."

Mel's nostrils flared in irritation, her glare intensified, "Fuck you."She hissed, through gritted teeth, before turning away, walking towards the gates of the Sanctuary,

"Hey now, I don't know where you think you are running off to, we need to get you to ol' Dr. Carson."

"I know where to find him, I don't need a fucking escort."Mel snapped,

" **HEY**!"Negan bellowed, angrily grabbing Melrose by the arm and pulling her backward so she could face him. Annoyance was burning in his eyes as his nostrils flared, her heartbeat seemed to skip a beat as fear gripped her but she refused to let him see; his voice echoed through the courtyard, which caused the Saviors unloading the trucks of the supplies and looked over until Negan flashed them a pissed off look which made them continue what they were doing. He glowered back down at Melrose who returned the expression, "You seem to be forgetting that you're my wife! I will _**escort**_ you wherever I damn well please, with or without your permission!"

Melrose scoffed as she jerked her arm from his grasp, "You fucking hypocrite."She muttered under her breath,

Negan clenched his jaw, hardening his eyes at her, "I'm going to ignore that comment, babydoll."He said, grimly, shoving past her. Melrose sighed and reluctantly followed him back into the Sanctuary.

* * *

The stroll to Doctor Carson's office seemed to take an eternity, the tension between Melrose and Negan was so thick that you could cut it with a knife, neither one spoke, which made it not only tense but awkward. Finally, they reached the doctor's quarters, Negan forced the door open, "Knock, knock,"He said, in an overdramatic tone which turned Melrose's stomach, "Melrosey, here got into a little scrap when we were out and about today."

She rolled her eyes, "It's not a big deal, I'm not worried about my fucking lip, just these bandages, think you can remove them now? There starting to itch."She replied,

"Of course, of course, come have a seat and I'll take a look."Doctor Carson said, with a slight smile. Melrose walked over to the doctor's bench and took a seat, while Doctor Carson gathered the medical supplies that he required, and returned, standing before her. "Are you sure that you don't want me to take a look at that lip, Melrose?"

"I'm sure, it's no big deal."

The doctor smiled slightly and then began to remove the butterfly bandages from her brow, she winced as he gently tugged them off, it felt as if they had been superglued to her flesh. "Well, that cut seems to be healing well, it's scabbed over, which is good. I believe you can do without the bandages, just...be careful."

"I will."

"Will you at least let me disinfect that cut? We'd rather be safe than sorry."

"Sure, doc, if it'll put your mind at ease."She replied. Doctor Carson gently lifted her chin up so he had a better look at her split lip, she heard an irritated sigh escape from Negan. Mel darted her eyes over at him, Negan was leaned against the door frame, his arms were folded across his chest with Lucille propped against the wall at his side. His brow was furrowed as a scowl formed on his face, his dark eyes narrowing at the doctor. She rolled her eyes, ignoring the stinging pain from the disinfectant Doctor Carson had applied to her lip.

"Do you have to be brooding in the corner? You know you can wait outside, I don't need you hovering over me all the time."She snapped, knowing that he did not like the older man touching her.

"Fine, just remember your boundaries, doc."Negan warned, snatching up his barbwire bat before he exited the room.

"I'm sorry about that, Doctor Carson."Melrose said,

"Oh don't worry about it, Melrose, I'm...rather used to that."

She sighed, "I don't understand how all of you can put with him...haven't any of you tried to—"

"Watch yourself, Melrose."He warned, in a hushed tone, his voice trembling in fear. "Don't let him hear you speak that way, if you know what's good for you."

"Sorry..."Melrose mumbled, when a sudden jolt of realization hit her, "You wouldn't happen to be related to Harlan Carson, from the Hilltop?"

"He's my younger brother."The doctor replied,

"So...Negan took you from your home too?"

A sorrowful look shadowed his face, "He did, Negan came looking for a doctor and I just happened to be the lucky choice..."Doctor Carson replied, his voice sounded soft and sad.

"I'm sorry."Melrose said, sympathetically. She felt sorry for him, she could tell that he missed his brother, missed the place that he had called home, just as she missed her family and friends, and just like her, he was trapped.

"I've made the best of the situation I've been given...you'll be wise to do that same."He said. Melrose narrowed her eyes and lowered her gaze, "I can tell you're a fighter, Melrose, but sometimes...it's best to just...give in and survive."

"I...I can't do that. I have people waiting back home for me...I'll survive, all right, but I will never give in."She snapped, hopping down from the table. "Thanks for patching me up, doc."She said.

Melrose stepped into the hallway to find Negan swinging Lucille into the air, swatting at invisible enemies. He spun around letting the bat's bloodied and barbwire end sway about an inch from her face, her eyes widened shocked, as she took a step backward; a sickening feeling rose in the back of her throat as she noticed the bits of flesh and tuffs of blonde hair stuck on the ends of the metal pieces.

Negan smirked as he lowered the bat, "So, ol' Dr. Carson got you all squared away?"

Melrose forced that ill feeling away and narrowed her eyes at him, "Um yeah...what the hell are you doing?"She asked, arching a brow at him.

His smirk widened, "Oh, just getting some practice swings in to let off some steam."

Melrose rolled her eyes, "Whatever."She muttered under her breath, walking past him, with only a few steps he caught up with her.

"There anything special you want to eat later?"Negan asked, nonchalantly.

"Whatever you want, I'm not really hungry,"Melrose replied, curtly. Food was the last thing on her mind after the horrors she had witnessed today and Negan's unconcerned tone made her stomach churn. _How can you not care...or show some fucking emotion about what you did.,_ She thought, angrily.

They reached his room quickly, Negan opened the door, smirking as he let her enter first, "Are you sure about that, babydoll? You can have anything you want."

"I said I don't care, get whatever the hell you want."Melrose snapped, storming towards the bathroom.

She heard him huff a sigh in annoyance, "Where the hell are you going?"

"I'm going to take a shower if that's okay with you."She retorted, before letting the bathroom door slam shut. She released a sigh, finally getting away from him, even if he technically was on the other side of the door.

"Sure, babydoll,"Negan said, through the door, "I'll go stop by and see the girls to get you some fresh clothes."

"Yeah, whatever."She grumbled, she heard his booted feet walk across the floor and the door open and shut. She sighed again, ungluing herself from the back of the door; she walked further into the bathroom, running a hand through her hair as she did so. Melrose slid open the glass doors to the shower and turned the faucet on, letting the water warm up as she undressed. As she pulled the dress off, Melrose balled it up in her hands and hurled it into the corner; she finished undressing and stepped into the shower, the hot water felt nice on her skin and aching joints. She sighed closing her eyes only to see those same haunted images again, tears stung the backs of her eyes as she balled her hands into fists. _I'm sorry...,_ She thought.

Melrose stood under the shower head, letting the water rain down on her as steam filled the bathroom. She grabbed the pink bottle of shampoo that was perched in the corner beside a black bottle, she assumed this was for whenever Negan had any of his wives' stay the night. She rolled her eyes and lathered her hair with the sweet smelling shampoo when she suddenly heard the bathroom door open; her body tensed as she tried to cover her chest, seeing Negan's outline through the foggy glass shower door, "Um excuse me, what the fuck do you think you're doing? I'm still in here if you've forgotten!"She snapped, her cheeks burning red.

She didn't have to see his face to know that that smug ass crooked smirk was tugging at his lips, "Calm down, I'm only dropping off some clothes."

"Okay thanks, now get the fuck out."Mel barked, closing her eyes to rinse the soap from her hair, until she heard him unzipping his pants. Her entire body frozen, her throat ran dry, and her heart pounded like a war drum within in her, listening to him undress. The door slid open and Negan stepped into the shower with her, Mel's face twisted in alarm and anger, as she quickly covered herself, "What the fuck are you doing?!"She screamed, glaring at him.

His smirk widened, "Well, I need a shower too and I'm not trying to waste water, so I thought I'd join you."

Mel's nostrils flared in anger, her cheeks growing redder, as her gaze lowered to his hard chest, like the salt and pepper stubble that lined his jawline, the hair that curled about his chest was the same hue; she noticed that at one time he must have had some ripped abs, they were still there but not as prominent, she quickly adverted her eyes before she looked any lower. Something within her began to grow which caused her hair to stand on end as she felt his eyes all over her, she quickly turned around, her narrowed eyes focused on the white titled floor beneath her. "I know what you're doing, prick."She snapped.

"Yeah, I just said I'm saving water."

 _Dick.,_ She thought.

"Look, I'm not going to try anything, babydoll."Negan replied, "You can trust me."

 _I don't.,_ Melrose thought, "Whatever."She muttered, annoyed, as she finished rinsing the shampoo from her hair. Melrose was keeping a close eye on Negan out of the corner of her eye, she could feel her blush deepening; she had to admit that he was easy on the eyes for an older guy, she looked away focusing on the bar of soap in her hands that she was rubbing against her glistening skin, creating foam, when suddenly she felt his fingertips brush against her back. She jerked at his touch and glared at him from over her shoulder, "What are you doing?"She spat,

"Calm the fuck down, I thought I'd do you a favor and help you with your back."He said, his voice was low and gruff which caused something to stir within her.

Negan's coarse hands lathered her back in soapy suds, she shuddered slightly, closing her eyes and biting the inside of her bottom lip; she hated herself but his touch was driving her crazy, goosebumps prickled her skin. Negan slowly traced the outline of her spine with a finger, she quickly grabbed his wrist stopping him just above her buttock, her body tensing,"That's low enough."Melrose snapped.

Negan smirked holding his hands up in surrender, "All right, babydoll."He said, his dark eyes burning with desire, his grin widened, "Do ya mind helping me out?"He asked, arching a bushy brow before turning his back towards her.

She rolled her eyes and sighed, before lathering the bar of soap into her hands and slowly brushed her hands over his back, Negan inhaled and exhaled deeply, releasing his breath in an overexaggerating tone. "You're a complete ass, you know that, Negan?"Mel said, curtly.

He glanced back at her from over his shoulder and smirk, "I know."Negan replied, proudly.

Melrose scoffed. She lowered her gaze, chewing the inside of her cheek, being this close to him, in such an intimate way, it was awakening something within her that she despised. _What are you doing, Mel?_ She thought, quickly pulling her hands away, guilt bubbling up within her core. Negan turned around to face her, for a moment their eyes met, she swallowed hard, her lips parting slightly. A part of her _**wanted**_ him, while the other part was screaming against it, _For fuck's sake Mel, think of the things he's done!_ She thought, _You can't do this to Jase!_

 _You need to do whatever it takes to survive!_ Another voice scolded her. Her fingertips brushed against his arm, which summoned him closer, leaving barely any space between them; she bit her bottom lip as they locked eyes again, her eyes now mirrored Negan's, glazed over with a sexual desire, a need. Negan raised a hand, cupping her face in his palm, Melrose swallowed hard again, the bar of soap slipping from her hand and clattering loudly onto the shower floor which caused her to jump.

Negan's dark brown eyes focused onto the soap which had landed at their feet, Melrose's entire body tensed as Negan bent down to retrieve the bar of soap; her heart hammered loudly within her chest, a gasp escaped her lips, her body trembling at how close Negan was to her womanhood. He looked up at her, a dark hunger burning in his alluring eyes which caused her stomach to flutter. He never said a word as he slowly rose back to a standing position, with the bar of soap in his hand. Melrose watched him closely, holding her breath, Negan raised his hand and for a moment, she thought he was going to reach out and kiss her, and a part of her wanted that; but instead, he placed the bar of soap on to the shower caddy behind her, a smirk curled on his lips. "Well, I'm done. I'll call Dougie to bring us up something special."He replied, before exiting the shower.

Melrose stood frozen, listening as he began to whistle as he wrapped a towel around his waist before leaving the bathroom. Her eyes narrowed as she slammed a fist into the wet shower wall, "Bastard."She cursed, her nostrils flaring in anger. She knew he enjoyed teasing her, watching her squirm, she hated him but most of all she hated herself for feeling that longing desire to be with him. She ran a trembling hand through her damp hair, _Dammit Mel, pull yourself together...you can't betray Jase._

 _You need to survive...do_ _ **whatever**_ _it takes to survive for them, he'll understand..._

She slammed her hand against the wall once more as her head began to throb, _Stop it...,_ She pleaded with the voices.

Melrose finished her shower and cut the faucet off, sliding open the glass doors and stepped out onto the plush light gray drying mat. She grabbed a towel from the linen closet and dried her hair first before wrapping the towel around her body. She wiped the fog from the mirror away, gazing at her exhausted and tormented reflection before inspecting the clothes Negan had gathered for her: a pair of black lacy undergarments, she rolled her eyes, cursing that he now knew her bust size. She removed the towel and slipped into the panties and bra, a pair of light gray sweatpants and a white crop top were what had gotten for her. She didn't mind the sweatpants, in fact, the fleece inside was rather comfortable, but the hem of the top stopped right at her breasts, causing the bottom of her bra to peek out. "Are you kidding me?"She grumbled with a sigh. The shirt was a few sizes too small for her liking which clung to her chest and body tightly, making her breasts look even bigger. "Dickhead."She muttered.

Before leaving the bathroom, Melrose brushed her hair and pulled it up into a messy bun. Out the window she could see the sky was slowly turning dark, evening was closing in, her stomach growled but she had no appetite. Melrose wandered into the kitchen to find Negan, sitting at the table eating, on the plate before him and the plate which was sat before Mel's designated seat, was fresh asparagus drizzled with butter and salt, a pile of mashed potatoes and a large grilled chicken breast. Her mouth began to water and her stomach groaned once again, but an ill feeling still lingered in the deepest pit of her belly. She noticed that he was now fully dressed in a tight-fitting white t-shirt which showed off his well-toned arms, a pair of faded jeans and black boots, his leather jacket was draped across the back of his chair. He took a swig of the beer that sat before his plate and glanced up at her from under his dark brows, " _ **Ahhhh,**_ "He released an overemphasized sigh, as he placed the beer back onto the table, "sorry that I started without ya, babydoll, but I was rather hungry."Negan smirked.

She rolled her eyes, "I don't really care, I said I'm not hungry."Mel snapped, taking a seat at the table anyway, taking a sip of her own beer.

He arched a brow at her, "You really not gonna eat?"He asked,

"Nope."

Negan sighed, "Geez, is this because of...***-Damn, Melrose, you aren't over that shit yet?"He groused,

Melrose narrowed her eyes at him, his cold, unfeeling tone made that sick feeling in her stomach grow more intense, "How...how could you do that to all those people?"She demanded,

Negan shrugged his shoulders in an insouciant manner, "Babydoll, I gave them plenty of chances to clean up their act, it was clear it wasn't going to get any better, they were becoming a nuisance."He replied.

She scoffed, "Are you kidding me? You took all of their guns! How the hell did you expect them to go out and scavenge for you, they had no means to fend off Walkers!"

"It's called improvise."Negan spat.

Melrose glared at him, anger was boiling within in, "I thought you valued people as a resource, you fucking hypocrite—"

" **ENOUGH**!"Negan roared, slamming his hands onto the table as he flew out of his chair causing it to fall over, Melrose jumped from his sudden actions, her heart pounding in her chest. "I get it, you don't know how things roll around here, so let's get one thing straight, babydoll, I'm not a fucking hypocrite. I gave every single one of those sorry shits a choice to leave, it's not my fault they didn't! The strong came with me, _**we**_ save people, honey, but there are some out there that don't want to be saved."

Melrose narrowed her eyes at him, folding her arms against her chest, "You're a dick."She whispered, angrily.

Negan sighed, picking up his chair and sitting back down, "I didn't enjoy what happened, Melrose, but ya got to crack a few eggs to make an omelet."He said, in an uncaring tone.

Melrose balled her hands into fists, "Fuck this."She snapped, getting up from her seat and storming out of the kitchen.

"Where are you going?"Negan called after her, as he followed her out into the living room,

"I'm going to bed."She spat.

Negan chuckled darkly, "Good idea,"He said, in a gruff tone. Melrose's body tensed, she could feel him pressing himself against her, his hands snaked their way to her hips, his thumbs rubbing her sides, "did you maybe _**change**_ your mind about.."He purred in her ear, his warm breath tickling her neck.

She shivered, biting the inside of her lip as she closed her eyes, her stomach fluttering at his touch, his closeness, but anger had engulfed her. Melrose smacked his hands away and turned around, glaring up at him, her nostrils flaring, "Do you honestly think that I would let you anywhere near me, after the shit you pulled today?"Melrose barked, "No, you're sleeping on the fucking couch!"She snapped, hurling one of the pillows from the bed at him which he quickly caught.

He narrowed his eyes at her, "Are you really kicking me out of my own bed?"Negan spat.

"Yeah, I am, ya know this wouldn't be an issue if you gave me, my own room like I asked."Melrose hissed.

"I told you I'm working on it."

"Whatever, just fuck off."Melrose snapped, pulling the covers aside before climbing into bed.

Negan smirked, "Damn you, you little pistol."He said, softly.

The lights were cut off, flooding the room in darkness, Melrose quickly turned on the small lamp that was perched on the nightstand and stretched out, having the bed to herself. She sighed, she could hear Negan settling in on the couch; she closed her eyes, folding her arms over her eyes and released another sigh, trying to erase the horrors the day had brought when she suddenly froze, hearing the mattress creak under someone else's weight. "What are you doing?"She huffed another sigh, moving her arms, to find Negan hovering over her, smirking.

"I just wanted a little kiss from my dear wife, before I fall asleep, can't you at least grant me that, Melrose?"Negan asked, in a teasing manner, his smirk widening.

She rolled her eyes before quickly brushing her lips against his, "There, now get the hell away from me."

Negan chuckled, "What the hell was that? I said a kiss, not a peck."He said.

Melrose huffed a sigh, _Asshole._ , She thought, before pressing her lips against his once more. Negan raised a hand and cupped her face as he deepened the kiss, Melrose hated herself as she lost herself in the heat of the moment, wrapping her arms about his neck as her tongue danced with his. An ache began to grow deep within her, she moaned softly into his mouth and as soon as she heard herself, she regretted it and quickly pushed Negan away. _Fuck...,_ She cursed herself, as she tried to recapture her breath, avoiding Negan's gaze.

Negan gently placed a thumb under her chin, causing her to met his dark, sensual gaze, that shit-eating grin spread across his face, "Sounded like you were actually enjoying yourself."He teased, darkly.

Melrose's cheeks were burning hot, she smirked as she sneered up at him, "Don't flatter yourself."She retorted.

Negan laughed, "You are something else, babydoll."He said, before climbing off the bed and strolling back to the couch. "Good night."

"Whatever."Mel barked, rolling over onto her side, facing away from him. Guilt was washing over her, her heart ached, _I'm sorry, Jase._ She thought, a tear rolling down her cheek. She was hating herself more and more the longer she stayed here and the more she was succumbing to Negan; she hated him, but at the same time a part of her longed to be with him. _Just...remember your plan, Mel, get close to him, yes, that doesn't mean you have to enjoy it...get close and kill him._ She reminded herself, before drifting off to sleep, her tears soaking into her pillow.


	4. Return to Alexandria-Safe Zone

_**Hello my lovely readers. Please forgive me for not uploading sooner, things have been really busy, I recently just got married! Yay! And I am planning on moving plus my job, etc. Please know, I have not given up on this story or my other one. Uploads will just be slow. So, yeah, please enjoy, and don't forget to review!~**_

 _ **Also, I do not own the song "Flying Dreams" that song is from the movie "The Secret of Nimh" and has always held a special place in my heart and thought it would be a nice lullaby.**_

* * *

Chapter 4: Return to Alexandria-Safe Zone

Negan awoke with a groan as he sat up on the couch, "Son of a bitch."He grumbled, under his breath, stretching, his body was stiff and his neck ached, _Thing sleeps like a fucking rock...,_ He thought, rubbing his face before getting up from the couch. He looked up, focusing onto Melrose's sleeping form in _**his**_ bed. She was sprawled out in the middle of the bed, on her belly, one of her arms was tucked under the pillow; the blankets had been wrapped and wrinkled about her, one of her legs had been kicked out from under the covers, a smirk formed on his lips, seeing that she had removed the sweatpants at some point in the night, and now revealed the black lace panties, which clung to her ass.

 _Damn,_ Negan thought, his smirk widening. He strolled over towards the bed and carefully and quietly turned the lamp off, before walking into the kitchen. Once in the kitchen, Negan began to prepare the coffee maker to start brewing and then opened the fridge, pulling out a carton of eggs, the tray of butter, and a fresh bright red tomato. Negan placed the food onto the countertop and began gathering the kitchen utensils that he needed to prepare breakfast; he then readied the stove top and placed a frying pan onto the preheating burner while he began to crack the eggs into a bowl, whisking them until the egg whites were completely mixed in with the yolks. Negan placed a small slab of butter into the frying pan which began to sizzle, he then poured the egg mixture into the pan; while the eggs began to bubble, he washed the tomato before pulling a knife from the drawer and began slicing the tomato. He moved his attention back to the eggs, taking a spoon he began to scramble the mixture, once the eggs had been cooked thoroughly, he shut off the stove and divided the eggs between two plates. Negan finished making the plates and set the table before gathering some bread slices and popping them into the toaster; he wandered back into the living room, walking to the nightstand once again, he quietly opened the drawer, taking out the large black walkie-talkie. He strolled back into the kitchen and clicked the walkie-talkie on, holding down the button before saying, "Yo, Dwight."

There were a few moments of silence until Dwight's voice finally answered, over the radio, "Yeah, Negan?"His tone sounding a bit annoyed.

Negan's lips curled up in a smirk, he enjoyed getting under people's skin. "Do you mind doing me a favor, D?"He asked, smugly.

"What is it?"

His smirk widened, "Have Sherry, pick out some clothes and a new dress for Melrose, and have her come up here and deliver it."Negan replied.

"Yeah sure."

"Thanks, D."Negan said, before turning the radio off and placing it on the counter, just as the toaster popped. A smirk lingered on his lips as he removed the slices of warm bread from the toaster, buttering it while it was still warm; he cut the slices of bread into triangles before adding them to the plates on the table, waiting for Sherry to arrive.

* * *

Melrose groggily woke up, rubbing her face, she could hear faint voices coming from the kitchen, Negan's and a woman's voice. She slowly rolled over, pondering if she should just go back to sleep but she was already up now. She yawned, stretching and yanked the wad of blankets away from her and got out of bed. She grabbed the sweatpants she had pulled off sometime during the night and slipped them back on; Melrose wandered into the kitchen to find Negan and a pretty brunette woman, wearing a tight black dress. _One of his wives,_ She thought. She recognized the woman, seeing her the few times she had been inside the wives' room, but didn't know her name. The woman was standing in front of Negan, her arms folded against her chest, as he rested a hand on her side.

Negan smirked as he focused on Melrose, "Good morning, babydoll."

"Yeah...morning."She grumbled, still upset with him, as she strolled over to the coffee pot, "Am I interrupting something? I don't really care what's going on, but if I am then I'll leave."

"No, Sherry here was just dropping off some clothes for you, have you met each other?"Negan asked, arching a bushy brow.

"I've seen her around," Sherry replied, before extending a hand out to Melrose, "I'm Sherry."She said faint a smile tugged at the corner of her lips.

"Melrose, nice to properly meet you,"Mel said, shaking her hand, smiling slightly. She felt sorry for the woman, in her hazel eyes flickered a deep sorrow mixed with irritation of Negan's groping hands. Sherry was just like the other wives, doing what it took to survive by pleasing Negan; she wondered what her story was, what was the cause of Sherry throwing her freedom away. Melrose shook the thought away, it wasn't her business. "Well...um thanks, for the clothes."

"No problem, and hey, if you ever need to get away from this ass," She said, gesturing to Negan with her thumb, "you're welcome to come by our place any time."

Negan smirked, "Damn, Sherry."

Melrose smiled, _I like her.,_ She thought, "Thanks, I'll keep that in mind, but, I should be getting my own room soon, right Negan?"Melrose asked, batting her eyelashes at him. He sighed, rolling his eyes at her which caused Melrose to smirk, she was going to pester the shit out of him until he caved.

"You know I'm working on it, babydoll."

"Then fucking work faster, _**babydoll**_."Mel snapped, before claiming her chair finally eyeballing the food spread out on the table. Her belly whined, she was starving since she refused to eat dinner last night.

Negan shoved past Sherry and grasped a hold of Melrose's chin, forcing her to face him, she narrowed her eyes up at him as he leaned closer, his face inches from hers, returning the pissed off expression. "That damn mouth of yours,"He said darkly, "I already warned you, that's going to get you into trouble someday."

Melrose swatted his hand away, "Piss off."She snapped.

Negan's lips curled into that smug grin before chuckling, as he straightened his stance. "I did what you wanted, can I leave now, Negan?"Sherry asked, irritably.

He rolled his head over to her, his smirk widening, "Sure darlin'," Negan said, "but before you go, why don't you give me a little kiss?"

Sherry walked over to Negan and cupped his face in her hands, as his arms wrapped around her waist; Melrose noticed the deadened look in her eyes before she closed her eyes and pressed her lips against Negan's, she pitied her. Melrose adverted her gaze and snatched up a piece of buttered toast, munching on it, trying to not to focus on Negan and Sherry making out beside her. She felt uncomfortable, she glanced over narrowing her eyes, before picking up her fork and stabbed the scrambled eggs on her plate. She tried to ignore it, but there it was, a spark of jealousy flickering within her, _Oh stop it.,_ She scolded herself, before a taking a big bite of the eggs, trying to force that feeling away.

They finally broke away, Negan's smirk widened at the uncomfortable grimace on Melrose's face. Sherry rolled her eyes at him and then looked back at Melrose and smiled faintly, "See ya around, Melrose, it was nice to meet you."

"Yeah, you too, Sherry."Melrose said, returning the expression before Sherry made her leave.

"She was a lot like you when she first started, but she came around, though she's still got a feisty side every now and then."Negan replied, Melrose, narrowed her eyes up at him before finishing her toast, " _ **Yooooou**_ on the other hand, damn, you're a fucking little pistol, I'm not gonna break you, am I?"

"Fuck no."Melrose snapped, with her mouth full.

Negan scoffed, "Regretting not eating last night?"

"Kind of..."She admitted, cutting into the tomato slice.

"You should've ate, not eating isn't gonna to bring those sorry shits back."

"Do you have to be such an asshole this early in the morning?"Melrose retorted, "I just...didn't have an appetite after...after everything that happened..."She said, softly, remembering the bombing of the Oasis, and Beatrice's bloodied body. She shook the memory away.

Negan sighed, "I'm sorry, babydoll, I keep forgetting you've had some shitty things happen these past few days."

"Just forget it."Melrose said, grimly.

"You want to tag along on another pickup run?"Negan asked, she cut her eyes up at him, "I promise, it's gonna be different than yesterday, babydoll."

"You're...going to let me go with you again?"Melrose asked, taken aback. She figured yesterday would have been the last time Negan would ever let her accompany him outside of the Sanctuary.

"Yeah, if you want to."

"I figured after...yesterday...you wouldn't let me go with you again..."

"Was that incident your fault?"

"No."

"Then why would I fucking punish you?"Negan barked, "You want to come along or not?"He asked, arching a brow.

She nodded, "Where are we going?"Melrose asked, before finishing off her scrambled eggs.

"Alexandria."

Mel's eyes widened as the food caught in her throat, she coughed, finally getting it down before looking up at him, "Y-You told my dad, you'd give them a week."She said, in a worried tone.

Negan smirked, "You sayin' that they ain't got shit?"

"No, I'm not saying that...it's just..."Melrose stopped and glanced up at him, a flirtatious smirk formed on her lips as she rose from her seat. She had to buy them some time—she knew that the supplies in Alexandria were full enough to please Negan but she also knew how he and his men worked, after seeing it first hand, the Saviors would take all the good stuff and leave them with hardly anything; she had to let them go out and get more so they had enough to spare, she had to convince him to keep the pick up scheduled for a week, like he said—Melrose walked over to him and took a seat in his lap, which caused Negan to grin, she wrapped her arms around his neck, "I'd just hate for you to make two trips, if you give them a week like you said, then they'll have more time to scavenge and find better things that will be worth the drive. Please, Negan."Melrose begged, stroking the hair at the nape of his neck, gazing up at him from underneath her long lashes.

Negan ran a hand slowly up and down her legs which caused her to shiver, "***-Damn, babydoll, those baby blues are hard to say no to, but, "His smirk widened, "I'm going to have to."

Melrose furrowed her brow and pouted, "Why?"

"I need to see if your prick dad is on the bandwagon, I'd hate to make another example of somebody."

Melrose shoved herself out of his arms, "My dad's not an idiot, he's going to do what you want..."She snapped, knowing that Rick would not let anyone else come to the same demise as Glenn and Abraham, if there was a way to prevent. She forced the ghosts away, almost feeling sick and dizzy, she felt herself sway but Negan quickly steadied her,

"Whoa, you okay?"

"I'm fine."She snapped, "So, does that mean I have wear that stupid dress again?"

"You know what I said Melrose, if you go out there, I need everyone to know that you _**belong**_ to _**me**_. I had Sherry pick something out for you, something better."

"What was wrong with the one I wore yesterday?"

Negan scoffed, "Before I made my improvements, you looked like you were going to a fucking funeral. It's better now, but I'd like to see you in something _**else**_."He said, in a low gruff voice.

Melrose rolled her eyes, "You're a dick."She snapped before walking out of the kitchen, which caused him to chuckle. She found a large duffle bag sitting on the couch which was filled with various clothes: jeans, shorts, undergarments, tank tops, t-shirts. "Where's the dress?"Melrose called, after searching through the bag,

"It's hanging up in the bathroom."He answered back.

Melrose walked into the bathroom and instantly narrowed her eyes, "Oh hell no!"She snapped, glowering at the dress. The dress, if one could call it that, was hanging on a red hanger by two white straps since it was completely strapless, it was made of a shiny, soft, silky material; it had a sweetheart neckline and was super short, it looked to her more like black fabric rather than clothing. She snatched the hanger and stormed out of the bathroom and back into the kitchen, "Negan, what the fuck is this?"She snapped.

"A dress."He smirked.

Her glared intensified as he hurled her own words back at her, she balled her hand into a fist at her side and gripped the hanger tighter, "I know what you're doing."She snapped, anger forming within her, "You're taking me back to Alexandria to torture me! You're going to fuck around with my dad and Jase! Y-You're going to humiliate me..."She said, her voice shaking, her nostrils flaring.

Negan rose from his seat and walked over to her, "I don't see it as torture, I'm taking you back because I have a fucking heart, you didn't get to say goodbye to lover boy or your baby sister, don't you want to see _**her**_?"He said, softly.

Melrose froze, her heart ached and she could feel tears stinging the backs of her eyes, "O-Of course I do...but then I..."She stopped herself, _I-I won't want to leave...,_ She thought.

"What?"Negan asked, arching a bushy brow at her.

"Nothing..."Melrose muttered. She longed to be reunited with her dad, and Carl, and Jase, and Judith, her heart ached at the thought of seeing them, as well as everyone back at Alexandria but then...she knew Negan would just drag her away, only to bring her back here to the Sanctuary. _Fuck him...,_ She thought, angrily, she could feel the unshed tears swelling up in her eyes and refused to cry in front of him. She turned around and hurried back into the bathroom, once the door was shut, Melrose began to break down. She wiped her wet cheeks with the back of her hand and moved over to the sink, glancing up at her reflection in the mirror. She inhaled deeply before releasing the breath, _Pull yourself together...you have to be strong for them, you can't give him the satisfaction of getting to you.,_ She told herself. She freshened herself up and began to change, on her trudge back to the bathroom she had snatched up the duffle bag and had found a nude strapless bra inside. Melrose hooked it into place and slipped on a pair of matching panties. She then pulled the dress off the hanger, wrinkling her nose at it once more, before slipping it on. She had never worn something so short, the dress stopped right above the knees; she knew if she bent down her ass would be on display for all to see, "Fucking pervert."She grumbled, vexed. Before she left the bathroom, she freed her hair from the messy bun and decided to dutch braid her hair, a few disobedient strands hung down to frame her face.

She walked out of the bathroom and was instantly whistled at, she narrowed her eyes at Negan, who was now leaned against the back of the sofa, he was once again wearing his leather jacket and had his arms folded across his chest, his lips curled into that crooked, smug ass grin. "***-Damn, Melrose, look at _**yooooouuu**_." He said, sensually, his dark eyes looking her up and down.

"Are ya done?"She snapped, rolling her eyes as she walked over to get her boots.

"Oh no. No boots."Negan replied, "I believe Sherry left some heels by the door."He said, his smirk widening as he nodded towards the door.

Melrose followed his gaze and sure enough, perched by the door frame, right beside Lucille, was a pair of shiny black stilettos. She narrowed her eyes, "Oh you've got to be kidding me? I seriously have to wear these?"She snapped.

"Trust me, they'll look better with the dress than those beat up boots of yours."

"So what, you're some kind of fashion expert now?"Melrose said, curtly.

"I like what I like."Negan said, smirking with a shrug of his shoulders.

"Oh, so this is some weird kink of yours then."Mel taunted.

Negan chuckled, "No, they're just fucking heels, what's the problem?"

Melrose sulked, folding her arms across her chest—back before the outbreak, Melrose had never mastered the art of walking in high heels, she rarely wore them and when she did, she was constantly clinging to Jase for support—she trudged over to the heels and pouted, "I-I'm not the best at walking in these things."She admitted, shyly, only to be laughed at by Negan. She narrowed her eyes at him, _Ass.,_ She thought, carefully slipping the stilettos on to her feet.

"Well then, you can just hold on to me, babydoll."Negan smirked, darkly walking towards her.

Melrose crossed her arms once again and focused on to the floor as she tried to step forward, she wobbled a bit, not used to the thin heels and stumbled forward, crashing into Negan who quickly caught her. She gasped a hold of his shirt, trying to keep her balance, Negan scoffed, "You're not very graceful."He grinned down at her, letting his hands slide slowly down to her waist.

Her body trembled, she bit the inside of her lip as she glared up at him, "I told you, I suck walking in these and besides, I've never worn stilettos in my life."Mel sulked,

Negan chuckled, his grin widening, "You're ***-Damn cute when you pout, Melrose."He said in a low, breathy, gruff tone before crashing his lips against hers. Melrose gripped his shirt tighter as she deepened the kiss, that longing ache was throbbing within her, her stomach fluttered,

 _Dammit...,_ She cursed herself for feeling this way, but she couldn't fight it. She didn't mind being in his arms, kissing him, feeling him against her. No matter how much she hated him, there was something about him that enticed her; she knew he was dangerous, deadly, unpredictable, insane. And no matter how much she fought, all he had to do was kiss her and she was like putty in his hands. _Dammit Mel,_ She scolded herself again, losing herself in his kiss, his touch.

Negan broke the kiss, leaving Melrose wanting more, "Damn,"He whispered, trying to recapture his breath, he smirked as Melrose lowered her gaze, her cheeks glowing red, "well, I guess we better head out."He said, before picking up Lucille, placing her over his shoulder.

Melrose forced that aching rising within down and quickly regained her composure. "You're really making me wear these?"She snapped, narrowing her eyes at him.

He smirked, "Sure am."

"Asshole."Melrose grumbled under her breath, carefully walking towards the door, once she had successfully reached the door, she quickly grasped a hold of Negan's arm which caused his grin to widen, "Oh stop it,"She hissed, nudging him hard in the side, "I'm only doing this so I don't fall on my ass."

"Don't worry, darlin', I'm not gonna let you fall."He said, before they left his room.

* * *

The heels were a nightmare, especially when they reached the long, winding stairwell, "Oh fuck."Melrose mumbled, clutching Negan's arm tighter while her other hand gripped the handrail for dear life.

"I've got ya, babydoll."

"Shit...fuck this."Melrose snapped, removing the shoes from her feet before going any further, "Sorry but for now at least, these things are coming off."She replied, before scurrying down the first flight of stairs.

Negan laughed as he caught up with her, "Fine, but when we get to Alexandria, they're going back on, I want to make sure you look pretty for your _**daddy**_."Negan purred, darkly in her ear.

Melrose clenched her fists, glaring over at him as he passed her on the stairwell, beginning to whistle that ominous tune. _Bastard.,_ She thought, reluctantly following behind him. As they crossed the floor of the Marketplace, one by one the workers and Saviors bowed as Negan and Melrose past, it still caused a chill to slither down her spine, she refused to meet their eyes, and focused on what lay ahead of her. They finally made their way outside and past the gardens heading towards the gates where she could already see a convoy lined up, only this trip there were more moving trucks and thankfully no Simon. She followed Negan to the head moving truck, and noticed that their driver today would be Arat.

Melrose could already taste the tension as Arat scowled over at her from behind the wheel of the driver's seat. She didn't know why this girl hated her so much, but she returned the expression showing her that she wasn't scared of her. Negan climbed into the truck cab and Melrose followed behind him, shutting the door as Arat turned the key in the ignition, the engine roared to life and the truck lunged forward, with the convoy following behind them.

The drive to Alexandria was awkward and silent expect for Negan fiddling with the truck's radio, Melrose ignored the distractions, her heart beat faster and faster with each mile. _Jase. Dad. Carl. Judith...,_ She longed to see them again. She had been staring out the window, blankly, until she straightened in her seat, as she began to notice the familiar tree lines and land markings. She looked forward and could see Alexandria's tall, strong walls in the distance, she could help but gasp, she could feel tears swelling up in her eyes. _H-home...,_ Mel thought, she never thought she would ever see it again. The drive took about four hours, she never realized that the Sanctuary was so...so close. As Arat pulled up to the closed covered gates, Melrose opened the door before she ever cut the engine, hopping out of the truck, but Negan roughly grabbed her arm, pulling backward, "Whoa now, babydoll, where's the fucking fire?"He teased, arching a brow at her.

"I..."Melrose stopped herself, she focused onto the gate, a tear trickling down her cheek,

Negan sighed, "Hey, I get it, you're excited to be home, it's emotional,"He said, before whispering in her ear, "but you're forgetting, you're mine now."

Melrose froze, her hands turning into fists at her side as Negan smirked at her as he walked towards the gate, Lucille perched onto his shoulder, whistling as he strolled up to the sealed covered gates. Melrose narrowed her eyes at him as she followed him, "Ah, ah ah, get behind me."He sneered, pushing her away from the gate and behind him.

"Why?"Melrose snapped, glaring at him.

His smirk widened, "I want my pretty face to be the first one, Ol' Papa Rick sees."Negan replied.

Melrose's nostrils flared in anger, she had been right, Negan was going to fuck around with her dad, tease him, and flaunt her and the choice she had made in front of everyone. "You fucking prick."She muttered, in a defeated tone.

Negan chuckled darkly, before focusing back onto the closed gates, "Dun-dun-dun-dun! Little pig, little pig, let me _**innn**_!"Negan yelled, whacking Lucille against the rungs of the wrought iron gate.

Melrose squeezed her eyes shut, anger boiling within in her, her fingernails dug into the skin of her palms, shaking her head. _It's all just a fucking joke to him.,_ She thought, hearing the first layer of the gate, the chain link fence part with the tarped covering, being unlatched and slid out of the way, still leaving the wrought iron gate. She quickly spotted Eugene and Rosita standing behind Spencer Monroe who had been the one to open the gate; he was one of her least favorite residents of Alexandria. The guy was an arrogant prick, nothing compared to Negan, but he was still an asshole; he was in his early thirties, was about the same height as Negan who stood before him, glaring at him. A light dark brown stubble lined his jawline, his short dark brown hair was cut neatly and curled a bit at the base of his neck, he was dressed in a green long sleeve shirt with the sleeves pushed up to his elbows and faded jeans.

He stared at Negan with hardened dark brown eyes, Negan arched a brow at him, "Welll?"He snapped, "Ya gonna let me in?"

"Ummm...who are you?"Spencer asked,

A dark smile spread across Negan's face as he leaned back, gripping Lucille's handled tighter, "Ohhhhh, you better be jokin'! Negan, Lucille, I know I had to make a pretty strong first impression."He said, in an overdramatic tone, littered with annoyance.

Melrose shoved past him, "Spencer, just open the fucking gate!"She barked,

Spencer looked over at her, his eyes looking her up and down, "Melrose? What the hell are you—"

"Just open the fucking gate!"Mel snapped, glaring at him, when suddenly her expression softened as she saw someone walking up behind Spencer, a gasp caught in her throat, as tears now spilled down her cheeks, "D-Dad..."She whispered, "Dad!"She cried, gripping the metal rungs.

"Melrose!"Rick wailed, running towards the gates, shoving his way past Spencer, he grabbed his daughter's hands through the gate, his blue eyes clouded with tears, "Oh Mel,"Rick whispered, "Spencer, hurry up and open the gate."He snapped, taking a step back, as Spencer unlocked the second gate, once it was open, Melrose and Rick practically crashed into one another as they embraced.

"Daddy..."Melrose sobbed into her father's chest, holding him close. At that moment, she felt like a little girl again, clinging to her daddy whenever she had a bad dream or fell off her bike. Rick held her tight as they both wept, they finally released one another from their embrace, Rick cupped Melrose's face in his hands, "H-How's Judith? Has she been giving you any trouble and...Carl, is he okay?"She asked, sniffling.

Rick smiled faintly, stroking her cheek with his thumb, "Their fine, Mel, we're all fine but...but what about you?"He asked, searching her eyes, before noticing the scabbed over cut on her forehead and her healing busted lip.

He looked over at Negan and glared, "I'm fine, Dad...h-he didn't do this..."She said, softly, as Negan sauntered up beside her, grinning darkly.

Rick continued to glare at Negan, "You said a week, you're early."He snapped,

Negan's grin widened, "I missed you."He teased, before wrapping an arm around Melrose's shoulders, pulling her to his side, "I think now is a good time to tell Papa Rick the good news, don't you, babydoll?"He said, grinning down at her.

Melrose lowered her gaze, avoiding her father's concerned look, she felt ashamed and dirty, as more tears trickled down her cheeks. "What's he talking about, Mel?"Rick asked, his voice on the verge of breaking.

Negan held her tighter, "You're baby girl, agreed to be my wife...so looks like, we're family now."He chuckled, darkly.

All color drained from Rick's face, his confused and fearful eyes moved up to Negan and then back to his daughter who had begun to sob, "Melrose...?"

"I-I'm sorry, Daddy...I-I had to..."She cried, looking up at her father through tearstained eyes. There was so much more she wanted to say but she couldn't reveal her plan, especially here in the open.

Rick's face quickly twisted in anger, finally taking in the skimpy dress Melrose was wearing, his eyes focused on Negan, "You son of a bitch..."

Negan glowered at Rick who had taken a hostile step forward, "Whoa now, Rick,"He said, sternly, pressing Lucille's wooden, bloodied rounded end into Rick's chest, "why don't you change that fucking tone. I haven't forced your baby girl to do anything, so stop giving me the stink eye. I gave her a choice and she accepted, come on now Rick, give me some fucking credit, rape...well, that's something I do **NOT** tolerate, I've got some fucking morals. Your baby girl is just fine, I haven't popped her cherry, so why don't you just calm the fuck down."

Melrose shoved him away, glaring up at him, as he chuckled darkly, this was all a game to him, he was toying with everyone and their emotions. _Fucking bastard.,_ She thought angrily, when suddenly someone caught her eye. Her heart skipped a beat when she saw him strolling up beside Rosita and Eugene, "J-Jase..."She said, she knew he had heard the last bit of Negan's words, for he had spoken loud enough to make sure everyone had heard. Melrose didn't care, she had missed seeing his face, and even from this distance, she could see the worried look painted on his face. His messy blonde hair reached just above his shoulders and was slicked back, his olive green eyes seemed to sparkle as she met his gaze, a slight smile formed on his lips; she trudged forward, blinking back the tears, "Jase!"She cried, before she realized it, she was running wobbly towards him, thanks to the heels,

"Melrose..."Jase said, rushing towards her, quickly catching her as she fell into him.

She wrapped her arms tightly around his neck, crying into his shoulder. For the first time in the past few days, she truly felt safe, just by being in his arms, "Jase...I'm sorry...I'm sorry...please don't hate me..."She sobbed.

"H-Hate you? I could never hate you..."He said, softly, his eyes glistening with unshed tears.

She held him tighter until a jolt of realization and fear pierced her, Melrose quickly released Jase from her embrace and took a step backward, all color draining from her face. "W-what's wrong?"He asked,

 _Oh shit...,_ She thought fearfully, realizing that she had probably just cost Jase his life. Her body began to tremble as she gazed back at Negan who was glaring in their direction, his dark eyes locked on to Jase as he trudged over to them, with Lucille perched on his shoulder. "No...Negan,"Melrose begged, as he walked past her, avoiding her, she grabbed his arm, "please don't..."

Negan glared down at her, brushing her hand away and moved his grim gaze back to Jase, " _ **Sooooo**_ , this is lover boy."He replied, darkly, his lips curled into that smug grin, he shifted Lucille,

"P-Please don't, Negan..."Melrose pleaded, choking back the tears.

Negan's smirk widened as he extended his free hand towards Jase, "Hi, I'm Negan."

Jase gulped and quickly shook his hand, "Jase Flynnigan."He replied, nervously.

Melrose stood frozen, blinking back the tears, fear still gripped her but it was slowly melting away, _He's just messing with you...,_ She thought.

Negan's brow furrowed, "You sound different than I thought you would, being here making you lose your accent?"

"Um...possibly, though, my parents were both English so...I-I sound differently than how a Scotsmen should sound."

Negan scoffed, "Calm down, I'm just messing with ya, no need to be so damn serious."He said, punching Jase playfully in the arm, before he grabbed him by the shoulders, pinning him to his side as he wrapped an arm around Jase's shoulders. " _ **Ahhhhh,**_ Jase my lad, you and I need to have a serious discussion...you see that pretty little thing right there?"He said, pointing to Melrose who stared back at them with a worried expression on her face, "I know you two were gonna tie the knot and all but...she's not your girl anymore, she's _**mine**_ , now I get it, this was an emotional moment and all, being apart for so long, not knowing if y'all were ever gonna see each other again...but no one, touches my wives, no one but _**me**_. Now, normally I'd bash your fucking skull in but I'm gonna let this slide, just this once, because I'm such a nice guy."He said, in a taunting, threatening tone which caused Melrose to narrow her eyes at him, clenching her jaw as he smirked at her. His smirk quickly vanished as he leaned over into Jase's personal space, "Don't let it happen again, do I make myself clear?"He whispered in his ear.

"Y-yes..."

Negan's smirk returned, "Good, I like you, Jase."He said, as he released him from his grip, "Rick, you should take a few lessons from this kid, he gets it."Negan said, leering over at Rick who returned the expression. "Oh stop with the ***-Damn stink eye, Rick,"He said, strolling over to him, "Hold this."Negan said, handing Lucille to Rick who hesitantly took the barbwire bat in his hands.

Melrose watched as the color drained from her father's face, fear flickered in his eyes as he gazed upon the bat, haunted by the ghosts of Abraham and Glenn. _Oh Dad..,_ Mel thought, sorrowfully.

She balled her hands into fists at her side, "Go on and gather up your belongings, babydoll, while your daddy shows me around."Negan smirked, as the rest of the Saviors began to take to the streets of Alexandria to take whatever they wanted. Negan sighed in an overdramatic tone, as he leaned back, "Hot diggity dog! This place is magnificent! An embarrassment of riches, as they say. Yes, sir, I do believe you are gonna have plenty to offer up."He said, his dark smirk widening.

Melrose stared harshly at Negan and the Saviors before lowering her gaze to the gravel beneath her heeled feet, "Come on, Mel, I'll help you get your things."Jase said, softly, he raised his hand as if to take a hold of hers but ceased in his actions and stuffed his hands into his pockets, staring down at the ground, fearfully.

"O-Okay..."She muttered, her heart ached, here they stood side by side and yet they couldn't be further apart...

Melrose followed Jase down the familiar streets of Alexandria towards the small house that they called home, a bitter sweet longing pricked her heart but as she saw the Saviors busting into the house only to come out carrying pieces of furniture, boxes full of medical supplies and other things that they deemed valuable, that feeling was replaced with anger and hopelessness, as she was reminded of the Oasis.

She sighed, as she looked over to Jase, he made sure to keep his distance from her, making their reunion awkward and aloof, her lips formed a purse line as she lowered her gaze.

"I-I'm sorry, Melrose...I—"

"It's fine, Jase...I get it."She said, softly, she noticed that they had reached their house and she followed behind him as they climbed the stairs of the porch to reach the front door. Jase opened the door and Melrose wandered inside, she smiled slightly; she didn't think that she would ever set foot in this house again, she never thought she'd see Jase or her father or Alexandria, again. Once inside she removed the stilettos, freeing her feet from the tight shoes that had began to rub the backs of her ankles raw, and walked towards the bedroom with Jase following behind her.

They entered the bedroom and Melrose strolled over to the closet while Jase retrieved a duffle bag, "Here."He said,

"Thanks..."She muttered, taking the bag before removing her clothes from the hangers, she sighed, "Jase...I'm sorry, I-I had to agree to become his...wife,"That word still felt strange on her lips, "you don't know what he's capable of, he's a psycho, h-he's unpredictable...you didn't see..."

"I heard...what he did..."Jase replied, sadly, "I understand Melrose, I-I do—"

"You don't...I didn't agree to this because I'm afraid! I did it because...because I'm going to kill him."

Jase's eyes widened in fear as Melrose went back to stuffing the bag full of her clothes, he closed the distance between them and tenderly grasped her arm, causing her to look up at him. "Melrose...is this really a good idea? You just said so yourself how unpredictable he can be...if—"

"I have to at least try!"Melrose snapped, glaring up at him, she took a step backward, her expression quickly softening once she saw the wounded look in Jase's eyes, "I-I'm sorry, I-I didn't mean to snap..."

He forced a smile, "It's okay."

"Jase, you can't tell anyone about this...not even Dad, no one can know, I can't risk Negan finding out."

"My lips are sealed."

Mel smiled faintly at him before lowering her gaze, biting her bottom her lip, "There's something else...I need to be honest with you.."She said, taking a set on the edge of the bed.

"What is it?"Jase asked, softly, sitting beside her.

A frown formed on her lips as she felt the guilt and shame that she felt, every time she kissed Negan, rising up inside her, swallowing her whole. Her heart ached as she sighed, "I-I've had to kiss him...a few times, I mean, we haven't done... _ **it**_. But..but, I-I haven't minded kissing him...I'm so sorry, Jase."She replied, tears swelling in her eyes.

Jase was hesitant for a moment before he finally placed a comforting hand on top of her own, tenderly he held her hand, Melrose looked up at him with tearstained eyes to see him smiling sadly back at her. "I-I understand...you're having to do what it takes to make him happy, it's okay, Mel."He said,

Melrose's brow furrowed, _H-He's not angry?_ She thought. Back, before the outbreak, Jase had always fought for their relationship, since the majority of it had been long distance, he would always bash the doubters, and defend his love for Melrose, but hearing his words now...he sounded defeated. She felt a twinge of betrayal pierce her heart, she knew in what the world had become now, Jase was not a fighter, but the one thing he had always fought for was, for _**them**_ , for her. She rose to her feet and narrowed her eyes at him, "Why are you so okay with this?"Melrose demanded, "I-I just told you how...how I'm okay with kissing this fucking jackass and it...it doesn't even faze you?"

Jase sighed, running a hand through his hair, "Melrose, of course...of course I'm not okay with it!"He snapped, "But...but what...what else can I do? What can any of us do?"He asked, sorrowfully, before sighing again as he stood up, walking over to her. Jase tenderly grasped Melrose by the shoulders, she gazed up at him to see tears glistening in his olive green eyes, "You...you need to do whatever it takes to survive, Melrose, I-I see the way Negan looks at you...it's okay if you have to—"

"Stop...please, don't...don't do this, Jase."Melrose cried, lowering her head. She knew what he was going to say, she knew that everyone saw how Negan eyeballed her, it was clear he wanted one _**thing.**_ She shook the thought away and went back to clearing the closet and dresser drawers of her clothing.

"I just want you to know, that...it's okay, Melrose."Jase replied, "Whatever happens, it's okay."He said, before leaving the room, to Melrose some space.

Melrose squeezed her eyes shut, _It's not okay...none of it is...,_ She thought.

* * *

Melrose finished gathering her belongings and wandered out of the bedroom to find Jase sitting on the khaki sofa, she noticed that his gaze was focused onto the coffee table before him, she stretched her neck to get a better look; spread about the table top were polaroid photos. "What are you doing?"She asked, arching a brow as she walked over to him,

Jase looked over at her and smiled slightly as she sat down beside him, picking up one of the photos, it was a picture of her and Jase making goofy faces, a smile tugged at the corner of her lips. She remembered Carl had found an old Polaroid camera and film awhile back, and so everyone began snapping pictures; there were a bunch of Melrose and Jase, Melrose picked one up and smiled the image was of her, Rick, Carl, and Judith, there a few other ones with her and Carl or her and Judith and Judith and Carl. She spotted one and the smile faded as she picked it up, it was a photo of all of them together; she wondered how Maggie was doing, had they gotten her to the Hilltop after Negan and the Saviors had left? Her eyes wandered over to Daryl and she had not seen him since she had arrived at the Sanctuary, but she knew he was there...somewhere, and she wondered how he was. Melrose swallowed back the tears once she spotted Glenn and Abraham, she closed her eyes as she put the photo back down onto the table.

"I thought you might like to have these..."He replied, softly.

Melrose sniffled, wiping her eyes, "Don't you want to keep some too?"She asked,

"I picked the ones I wanted...besides, you need them more, Mel."Jase said, forcing a smile, as he gathered up all the photos, stacking them neatly before handing them to Melrose.

She took the photos from his hand, a sad smile formed on her lips as she gently tucked them into the front pocket of the duffle bag that sat by her feet. "Thanks, Jase."Melrose said, before leaning over and pressing her lips against his to which Jase quickly pulled away. Melrose stared up at him, her brow furrowed and a hurt expression on her face,

"I-I'm sorry, Mel..."Jase said, the same wounded expression was written on his face as he lowered his gaze,

She sighed sorrowfully, "It's okay, Jase...I'm the one who should be sorry, it's just...I've missed you."Melrose said, her voice on the verge of breaking.

Jase's lips formed a purse line, his eyes full of sorrow and longing, "I've missed you too, Melrose, but...you heard what Negan said..."He trailed off, his voice trembling with fear.

Melrose's heart ached, "I know, I'm sorry the last thing I ever want to do is to be the cause of..."She couldn't finish the sentence, an image of Negan and Lucille beating and battering Jase informed in her mind, she shook the thought away but the dread and fear that she was feeling, still lingered. Melrose picked up the duffle bag and stood up from the couch, "Guess...I'll go catch up with _**him**_."She muttered. _I'm sure he's tormenting the shit out of dad...,_ She thought, annoyed.

"Wait, can you stay just a little while longer?"Jase asked, rising from the couch, Melrose turned to face him, "W-We can go out and talk on the porch like...like we used to..I can even go make some lemonade."

Melrose smiled faintly, "I'd like that."She said.

Jase nodded and smiled, "You can go on outside, I'll go make the lemonade."He replied, before heading off into the kitchen.

Melrose wandered outside and placed her bag down by her feet, as she rested her elbows onto the wooden railing of the porch, it had been painted white and in some places, the paint had begun to clip away. She narrowed her eyes, as she watched as the Saviors continued their search for goodies, she spotted Eugene sitting across the street fiddling with what looked like an old sound system, no doubt trying to get on the Saviors' good side. She looked back and forth down the street and noticed that Rosita and Spencer had left, she guessed that they had been on their way out to scavenge when they had arrived at the gate, and she assumed that they had gone out. She heard the front door creak open and looked over her shoulder to see Jase walking out of the house, carrying two tall glasses of lemonade with ice cubes floating around in the glass. It was a warm, humid day, and already the cold glasses began to sweat once they were out in the heat, Melrose thankfully took the glass and began to quenched her thirst; the lemonade was tart and sweet and the coolness slithered all the way down her throat causing her to shiver.

Jase smiled slightly as he noticed Melrose's gaze focus back onto the Saviors, her ice blue eyes narrowing, her hands grasping the glass tightly, "Don't worry, Melrose, I-I'm sure they won't much."He replied.

Melrose scoffed, "You don't know them...their going to take everything and leave you all with very little, and then their going to expect you all to go out and get more for them the next time, plus some for yourselves...and even if you hide anything, they'd find it somehow..."She retorted.

"We'll mange."He smiled, moving his hand over to hers, his pink finger gently brushing against hers.

She grinned faintly, linking her pink finger with his, Melrose glanced up to see a male Savior had ceased what he was doing and stared harshly over at them, her smile vanished as she quickly moved her hand away from Jase's. She sighed, hanging her head down, _They are Negan's eyes and ears...even if I'm not with him, I'm still under his ***-Damn watch.,_ She thought, clenching her fists.

"I'm sorry—"

Melrose snickered sorrowfully, refusing to shed anymore tears even though her eyes glistened with them, "It seems like that's all we've been saying...none of this is our fault...this is just how it's got to be for now."She said, grimly.

"I know."Jase said, "Hey, why don't you go see Carl and Judith? And...I'll see if I can't find some things for the Saviors."

"O-Okay."Melrose muttered. She finished her lemonade and placed the glass on the railing as she picked up her bag, pulling the long strap over her shoulder. Melrose looked back at Jase smiling sorrowfully; she wanted to take a moment to memorize every each of his face, his body, she didn't know if this would be the last time she would see him. Tears formed in her eyes, "I-I love you, Jase."She whimpered.

"I love you too, Melrose."He sniffled, his olive green eyes glistened with tears until finally they began to stream down his cheeks. She wanted so much to run into his arms and embrace him, but she fought the urge, considering so many of Negan's lackeys were out and about. Jase wiped his eyes and blew her a kiss, smiling despite the tears that continued to streak his cheeks; Melrose returned the gesture before turning away, making her way down the steps to the street. The asphalt was warm against the soles of her feet, she ignored it, refusing to put on those dreaded heels that she burried deep within the duffle bag to forget about them.

The house where Rick, Michonne, Carl, and Judith stayed was about seven houses down from theirs, her heart began to ache, she longed to hold Judith and to see her face, she wanted to see her brother and hug him. Tears formed in her eyes at the thought, Melrose quickened her pace and before she realized it she was running down the street, tears stinging her eyes. She finally reached the large, light gray, two story house, she immediately flew up the steps that led to the front porch and forced the yellow door open, "Carl! Judith!"She called, her voice on the verge of breaking as she wandered inside. She heard loud footsteps clammering around upstairs before she saw Carl emerge at the top of the stairs, carrying Judith in his arms,

"Melrose!"He gasped, dashing down the stairs,

Melrose met him halfway up the stairwell, Judith squealed happily once she saw her older sister and practically leaped into Melrose's arms. She held her baby sister tightly, tears trickling down her cheeks, "Hello Judith, I missed you."She whispered, she looked up at Carl and quickly embrace him, "I missed you too, little bro."

Carl held his sisters tight, he smiled, "We've all missed you, sis. Are you okay?"He asked,

"I'm fine, Carl."Melrose replied, as they released one another.

He smiled wiping his eye, "So...what the hell are you wearing?"Carl asked in a teasing tone, arching a brow,

Melrose smirked, "Watch it."She said, knowing that her brother had never seen her wear anything so...revealing before. "I have to wear this,"Melrose said, softly, bouncing Judith on her hip.

"Why?"Carl asked, "Is..is Negan forcing you to do... _ **things**_? Has he hurt you?"He demanded.

She smiled faintly at her little brother's protectiveness, "Carl, I-I had to become his wife..."

"What?! W-What about Jase?"

"Jase knows...look, I had to—"

"No, he _**made**_ you, didn't he, Mel?"Carl snapped.

Melrose sighed, "He didn't, I chose to,"She replied, "listen, Carl, I-I already told Jase, so I'll tell you too, but you can't tell anyone else, not even Dad, okay?"

Carl nodded, "Okay."

Melrose step closer to her brother, "I agreed to this so I can kill Negan."She said, in a hushed tone.

Carl's eye widened at his sister's words, "D-Do you think you can? Do you think it'll work?"He asked,

"I have to at least try."Melrose replied, she noticed Judith was getting restless in her arms, she smiled, "I'm going to take her upstairs, let her play a bit."

"Okay, I'll be downstairs if you need anything, I know you want some time with her."Carl smiled, before walking down the rest of the stairs, turning to the right to head towards the large open spaced kitchen.

Melrose ascended the stairs and walked down the hall, opening the first door on the right, which was Judith's room and wandered inside. The walls were a light gray just like the rest of the house, in the corner was Judith's white wooden baby bed, inside were pink and white soft, fuffy blankets and a few stuffed animals: a medium sized over stuffed elephant, a lavender bunny with a missing button eye, and a fluffy calico cat. On the white-gray carpeted floor were a few stacks of plastic blocks and a plush yellow duck toy, in the other corner of the room was a white rocking chair with a pink blanket draped over the back of the chair. Melrose smiled as she placed Judith onto the floor and sat down before her, stroking her little sister's blonde curly hair, "You don't know how much I've missed you, Judith."She said, softly. This was the longest that Melrose had ever been away from her little sister and she knew that this was just a " _ **visit**_ ", she shook the thought away, right now it was just her and Judith, and she didn't want to waste time on sadden thoughts.

Melrose had watched Judith play for almost an hour, but it felt like no time had passed at all, she smiled watching as Judith squealed happily every time Melrose would make her stuffed animals dance about. For a moment, she had forgotten Negan and the Sanctuary and everything that was happening, it was just and Judith. She laughed, something she hadn't done in a long time, as Judith stacked her blocks, and gazed up at her older sister with large sparkling blue eyes, Melrose clapped beaming, "Good job, Judith!"She cheered which caused the little one-year-old to squawked joyfully bouncing up and down, when suddenly a loud gunshot rang throughout the house.

Melrose's heart pounded as she instantly scooped up Judith who had began to scream and cry at the noise, "Shhhh, it's okay."She cooed. The gunshot had come from downstairs, her heart dropped as her blood ran cold, "Carl..."She muttered, dashing for the door, she suddenly paused, gripping Judith tighter as she continued to wail. There was no way she was leaving her sister upstairs unattended, she clutched Judith close to her, and raced out of the room, skidding down the hallway and running down the stairs. Judith continued to bawl, Melrose gently rubbed her hand on her sister's back, "Shh, shhh,"She whispered, as she entered the kitchen to see Carl pointing a hand gun at two male Saviors who had entered the house.

"Put some back, or the next one goes in you."Carl snapped, cocking the gun, readying the next round.

Her eyes rounded in surprise and then quickly narrowed as her brow furrowed, "Carl? What's going on?"Melrose demanded,

The first male Savior, a large Caucasian man with an unshaven face and messy brown hair, sighed, shifting the crate (that Melrose had just noticed was) under his arm, he sighed, "Tell this kid to put the gun down, we're just doing our job."He snapped.

Melrose narrowed her eyes at the man, "No, he's taking all of our medicine, they said only half of our stuff!"Carl spat,

"We take what we want, kid."The other Savior retorted. He was a thin African-American man who was glaring daggers at Carl, "Shut that brat up!"He snapped, moving his glare to Melrose and Judith,

Melrose returned the expression and sighed, bouncing Judith up and down, trying to soothe her, "Carl...just put the gun down, please."She begged, knowing that everyone in Alexandria had heard the gun shot, including Negan. A chill slithered down her spine as she remembered the people of the Oasis and how Negan had taken their guns because of an ' _ **incident'**_ , _Oh shit...,_ She thought fearfully, "Carl, please, just put down the gun...now."

"No! Not until they put some of it back!"Carl yelled,

The back door abruptly flew open and Negan wandered inside with Rick trailing behind him, Judith had finally settled down and Melrose swallowed the lump that had formed in her throat once she saw the darkened look on Negan's face as he glared at Carl. His dark eyes met hers and then focused on Judith, a smirk formed on his lips, Melrose glared at him, holding Judith closer to her,

"Carl, put down the gun."Rick begged,

"No! They said only half!"He snapped again,

Negan chuckled darkly approaching Carl, clenching his jaw, "Really kid?"He said, grimly.

Carl glowered up at Negan, "You should go before you found out how dangerous we all are."Carl spat.

Melrose's body froze, _Carl...what the fuck?,_ She thought fearfully.

Negan's bushy brows raised in surprise, he leaned back chuckling, "Well pardon me young man, excuse the shit out of my ***-Damn French but...did you just threaten me?"He asked, sternly, his nostrils flaring, "Look, I get threatening Davey here, but I can't have it, not him, not me—"

"Carl, just put it down—"Rick began,

"Don't be rude, Rick, we are having a conversation here."Negan barked, "Now boy, where were we? Oh yeah, your giant man-sized balls...no threatening us."He said darkly, "Listen, I like you, so I don't want to go hard proving a point here, you don't want that, I said half your shit, and _**half**_ is what _**I**_ say it is!"Negan bellowed, "I'm serious, do you want me to prove how serious... _ **again**_?"

Carl continued to point the gun at the Saviors, Melrose shook her head, her body was trembling in fear as she gripped Judith tighter for strength, "Carl...just give him the fucking gun! P-Please..."She pleaded.

Negan's eyes darted over to her and then back to Carl who sighed, "You better listen to your sister, kid."He said, harshly, holding out his hand, Carl sighed once again and reluctantly placed the gun into Negan's hand. He smirked, "There...was that so fucking hard?"Negan taunted, before strolling over to Rick, "Ya know Rick, this whole thing reminds me that you have a _**lot**_ of guns, there's all the guns you took from my outpost when you wasted all my people with the shit ton of your own guns...and I'm betting there's even more, which adds up to an absolute **ass** load of guns! And as this little emotional outburst has made crystal clear...I can't allow that."

A chill slithered down Melrose's spine, _No...,_ She thought, as fear struck her core. "No...Negan, please, y-you can't do this..."She said, taking a step towards him, "Carl...he didn't mean it, he's just a kid."

Negan turned towards her, invading her personal space, looking down at her with his dark eyes and smirked, "Oh _**shiiiiit**_ , them fucking baby blues."He teased, rising a hand to her cheek and pinching it playfully, Melrose glared up at him and swatted his hand away which caused his smirk to widen, " _ **Ahhhh**_ , babydoll, I can't allow this, he may be a kid, but he's a dangerous kid, and he just ruined everyone's gun privileges,"Negan paused, and circled about Melrose, "oh fuck, you, mean, you didn't tell them about what happened at the Oasis?"

Melrose froze, all color drained from her face as she swallowed hard, "Oh shit, you didn't."He smirked. Negan was now standing right behind her, so close that she could feel him pressing against her, Judith began to whine and she held her tightly, Negan leaned forward, his lips inches away from her ear, "I bet if you had told them...this is little scene wouldn't have happened."Negan whispered, in a mocking, condescending tone, before he strolled back in front of her, chuckling darkly.

She lowered her gaze, her ice blue eyes were filled with panic, as guilt and fear surged throughout her entire being, "Melrose...what's he talking about?"She heard her father ask, his voice full of concern,

Mel glanced up at Rick and Carl who's faces were wrinkled in worry, she shook her head, "N-Nothing..."She muttered, softly, trying to forget the horrors she had witnessed the day before.

Negan chuckled darkly, "Oh shit! You're not gonna tell 'em?"He teased.

She lowered her gaze, all words seemed to fail her and she hated herself for it, Negan smirked, " _ **Ahhh,**_ well don't worry, babydoll, **that** won't happen here."Negan replied, patting her on the back, roughly. His smirk widened as he paused before, " _ **Nooow,**_ who is this little angel?"He said, softly, tenderly pinching Judith's cheek, she whined and Melrose immediately turned, shielding her little sister from Negan, she glared up at him,

"Don't you fucking touch her."She snarled,

Negan held his hands up, he arched an eyebrow, "***-Damn, how about you put those fangs away, Melrose, I'm not gonna hurt the kid."

Melrose scoffed, "Like I'd believe anything you'd say."She snapped, before storming out of the room,

"Melrose?"She heard Rick say,

"Let her go, Rick."Negan's voice replied,

Melrose raced up the stairs with Judith squirming in her arms, she was beginning to get fussy; she reentered Judith's room and forced the door shut with her elbow, once it was closed she pressed her back against the door, angry tears burned the backs of her eyes as she squeezed them shut. She heard Judith coo and felt her little sister's tiny hand touch her cheek, Melrose opened her eyes and smiled down at her; she was so innocent, she had no comprehension of the horrible things happening around her, for a moment, Melrose was envious of that. "Oh, Judith.."She said, softly, before planting a kiss on her forehead.

* * *

Melrose wasn't sure how much time had passed, Judith had become fussier and began rubbing her eyes, she smiled faintly as she scooped her up in her arms and wandered over to the rocking chair. She sat down in the chair and began to rock Judith, she began to sing softly,

" _Dream by night,_

 _wish by day_

 _Love begins this way._

 _Lovin' starts_

 _when open hearts_

 _touch and stay._

 _Sleep for now,_

 _dreamings how_

 _lovers' lives are planned._

 _Future songs and flying dreams,_

 _hand in hand._

 _Love it seems_

 _made flying dreams,_

 _so hearts could soar._

 _Heaven sent_

 _these dreams were meant_

 _to prove once more,_

 _that love is the key._

 _Love is the key._

 _You and I_

 _touch the sky_

 _the eagle and the dove._

 _Nightingales,_

 _we keep our sails_

 _filled with love._

 _And love it seems_

 _made flying dreams_

 _to bring you home to me."_

As she continued to sing, she heard the door slowly creak open, her eyes darted over to see Negan leaning against the door frame, smiling, she rolled her eyes and ignored him, finishing the last lyrics in an almost whisper tone, since Judith was fast asleep. She smiled down at her and carefully rose from the chair, strolling over to the crib, she placed Judith tenderly down into the crib, covering her with a blanket, and placing the lavender bunny beside her. She gently stroked Judith's curls as Negan walked up beside her, "Pretty song,"He said in a hushed voice, "step-mama used to sing it to you?"

"No,"Melrose replied, "it was from a movie Carl and I used to watch as kids, I always sang it to him..."She said, softly. For a moment she was taken back to a time before Walkers and the horrors that filled the world now, she was taken back to a time where she saw her dad smiling and her and Carl laughing in front of the TV, a time where everyone was happy and safe...but that was a lifetime ago. Melrose shook the thought away and stared up at Negan, arching a brow, "What are you doing in here anyway?"She asked, harshly,

A smirk spread across Negan's face as he moved closer to her, wrapping an arm about her and gripping the crib, pinning her in the spot she was standing in; Melrose chewed the inside of her cheek, as he leaned down to her to face her. "I came to get you, you're gonna come with me and your Daddy to Alexandria's little armory, so me and the boys can collect all those guns."He said in a dark, breathy voice.

Melrose's body tensed, she looked over at him with wide eyes, her brow furrowed, "N-No, can't you let me stay here just a little while longer...if Judith wakes up and I'm not—"

"You're forgetting that this...is just a visit, babydoll."Negan said, smirking, as he gently placed an unruly hair behind her hair, "You're my wife, I need you by my side, besides, it's better to rip the band-aid off instead of slowly picking at it."He teased,

A breath caught in Melrose's throat as tears stung the backs of her eyes, her nostrils flared at Negan's uncaring and insensitive metaphor, she glared up at him, "You son of—"

"Ah, ah, ah,"Negan grinned darkly, placing his gloved index finger on her lips, "you'll wake the baby with that foul mouth."

Melrose smacked his hand away, narrowing her eyes at him, before finally, she sighed, her expression softened as she looked back to Judith's sleeping form in the crib, tears dripped off her long lashes, as she gently kissed Judith on top of her head, "I love you, Judith."She whispered. Mel reluctantly released the railing of the crib and choked back the tears as she wandered towards the door, with Negan following behind her; once she was outside in the hallway, she squeezed her eyes shut, which caused the tears to trickle down her cheeks.

She heard Negan sigh, "I know it's hard, babydoll—"

"Don't you fucking stand there and act like you know how hard this is!"Melrose snarled, glaring up at him, before she stormed down the hall and raced down the stairs. Anger and sorrow was boiling within her, she quickly spotted Rick and Carl standing by the door through her tearstained eyes, she sniffled once she saw their concerned faces,

"Mel?"Rick said,

She began to sob and rushed into her father's arms, clinging to him, Rick embraced her tightly, "I'm sorry, Daddy."Melrose cried,

"F-For what? What happened?"He asked,

"I'm just sorry...for everything."She whimpered, feeling guilty about not speaking up earlier, and now Negan was going to take all their guns, she hated this, hated everything, but most of all, she knew that when Judith woke up and didn't see Melrose, she was going to cry and scream, and that broke her heart.

Negan clomped down the stairs, Melrose felt her father's body tense, she slowly looked up at him to see his ice blue eyes were narrowed at Negan, she slowly released Rick from her embrace but he still had an arm wrapped about her, protectively. "What the hell did you do?"Rick snapped.

Negan rolled his eyes, "Oh stop with the ***-Damn look, prick, I didn't do shit."He retorted, "She's just upset about leaving the baby, and I don't blame her, that kid is an absolute doll...but _**weeeee**_ , have some business to take care of, and I want my dear _**wife**_ , to be there with me."He smirked, his dark eyes focusing onto her.

Melrose wiped the tears away and narrowed her eyes at him, "So, let's go get _**MY**_ guns."Negan grinned, forcing open the front door, Rick and Melrose hesitantly followed Negan and the two male Saviors out the door, when suddenly Carl grasped a hold of Melrose's wrist, she turned to face her little brother who had tears swelling up in his eye, his brow wrinkled and his lips formed a frown,

"Mel?"He whimpered,

Tears streamed down her face as she hurriedly embraced him, Carl's arms wrapped around his sister, holding her close, "Carl...I love you, you always remember that, okay?"Melrose cried, "I'll try to end this soon."She whispered in his ear,

Carl made no reaction to his sister's words, "I love you too, Melrose."He sniffled,

Negan sighed, "How fucking touching, really it is, and I hate to interrupt this beautiful fucking moment, but,"He said, firmly grasping Melrose by her shoulder and yanking her from her brother's arms, " _ **weeee**_ , are running behind schedule because of this ***-Damn incident."He snapped, narrowing his eyes at Carl.

Melrose shrugged her way out of Negan grip, narrowing her eyes up at him as he turned on his heels, "Mel, just..come on."Rick said, softly, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder, leading her from the house, leaving Carl and Judith behind. _Goodbye...,_ She thought, her heart heavy.

* * *

Rick was at the head of the group, leading Negan, Melrose, and the two male Saviors down the streets towards the armory, Arat had joined the group and was trailing behind Negan and Melrose, along with the two Saviors. Melrose felt empty, like a hollow husk, as she trudged along her...husband's side, her eyes were downcast and were red and sore from crying. Negan glanced over at her, arching a brow as he noticed her bare feet, "Where'd those pretty heels go?"He asked,

"Does it really fucking matter?"Melrose snapped, glaring up at him, when she suddenly realized that she had left the bag with her belongings back at her Dad's house, "Shit..."She grumbled, she didn't know if she could enter that house again...

"What is it?"He questioned,

"I-I left my bag back...back at—"

"Don't worry about it babydoll, I'll have the boys get it later."Negan smirked. He wrapped an arm around her, pulling her to his side; she sulked as he tightened his grip on her, as they approached a small brick house with a garage attached to it. It wasn't anything special but it was where they had designated to keep all the major supplies: inside the garage were rows of tall black iron shelves which housed all the food rations, inside the house down in the basement was where all the guns, ammo, and other weapons were stored, there was a section of the house which was stocked with the major medical supplies as well.

They paused before the white metal garage door which began to rise up at the flick of a switch from inside; the door finished opening and there stood Olivia Mahoney, waiting for them with her notebook. Olivia was on the chubbier side, her black hair reached just past her shoulders but was pulled back into a ponytail, she pulled her glasses up with a finger as she looked nervously over the group. She was in charge of keeping track of the inventory and food rations, if anyone needed to use a gun they would have to sign it out in her notebook and do the same when they returned it, same went for any weapon, her notebook also had great detail of medical supplies as well as food and water. "Hi...I-I figured you were coming."She stammered, her eyes met Melrose's and a faint smile formed on her face, "Hi Melrose."She said, sheepishly.

"Hi, Olivia."Melrose replied, softly. She had always liked Olivia, she was a nice, sweet woman, in her late thirties, she wasn't much of a fighter, but she always did what she could to help others; in the past, whenever Rick or Melrose, or Carl were gone, she would always look after Judith for them.

"Show them where the guns are, Olivia."Rick said, grimly.

"The armory's inside."She replied, before turning on her heels, the group followed her within the garage, passing the shelves filled with the food, this part was deemed 'the pantry'. Melrose couldn't help but notice how bare the shelves looked, the last time she was here, they had been stocked fuller than this, she swallowed hard, wondering how bad had things gotten in the time that she had been away.

"You run the show in here?"Negan inquired,

Olivia paused and turned around to face him, clutching her notebook tighter, "I-I just keep track of it all...the rations, the guns."She said, nervously.

Negan nodded, raising his eyebrows in approval, "Good. Smart."He remarked, before waving his hand, "Go on, don't let me stop ya, take Arat and the boys, show 'em the goods."

Melrose pitied Olivia, she looked so afraid as she nodded, walking away with Arat and the male Saviors following behind her as they disappeared within the house, leaving Rick and Melrose alone with Negan. He turned towards them, his lips curling in that smug grin, "Well, while they're at it, I just want to point out to you that I'm not taking a scrap of your food."He replied, eyeballing Rick, Melrose released a sigh of relief, "Slim pickins in here,"He stated, before closing the distance between him and Rick, "and I can't be the only one to notice, that you got a fat lady in charge of keeping track of rations, now can I? Either way, you starve to death, I don't get **shit** , so for now, you get to keep all the food."Negan grinned.

Melrose narrowed her eyes at his crude remark towards Olivia, and then glanced over to her father who remained silent, staring at Negan with his hard ice blue eyes. "How about that?"Negan asked, waiting for Rick to answer,

Rick's nostrils flared as he tilted his head at him, "What do you want me to say?"He spat,

Negan glared at Rick, taking a step closer, "I don't know Rick, how about a thank you, you think that might be in order? Is that **TOO** much to ask?"He snarled, getting into Rick's face. Melrose watched the two men carefully, as a twinge of fear stabbed her, Rick narrowed his eyes at Negan, remaining silent. Negan shook his head, smirking, "Huh."He scoffed before sighing, taking a step back, "I know we started off on the wrong foot, what can I say, you forced my hand, Rick,"He said, sternly, Rick hung his head down, shaking his head, gripping Lucille tightly in his hand.

 _Dad...,_ Melrose thought, sadly, knowing that that barbwire bat must feel like lead in his hands.

"but it's like I've been trying to tell you, I'm a _**very**_ reasonable man as long as you cooperate, so let ask you a question, Rick, are you cooperating?"

Rick looked up at Negan, glaring at him, "What's it look like?"He said, curtly.

Negan began to chuckle, "Ooooh, I **KNOW** what it looks like, but what I really want to know is if we're gonna find all the guns back there or maybe you got a few just waiting for their moment...just like my Lucille."

Anger was beginning to rise up in Melrose as her hands turned to fists at her side, "Will you just stop?"She snapped, glaring over at him. Negan's eyes darted over to her, a sly smirk was forming on his face as he sauntered over to her, "Just stop it. You can do whatever you want to me, but stop tormenting my dad."She warned, glaring up at him.

His smirk widened, "Awww, how fucking precious, you hate seeing Daddy all upset? What, you think he can't deal with me on his own?"

"I know he can."

He arched a brow, narrowing his eyes, "Careful now babydoll, that almost sounded like a threat."

"Well, maybe he's not the one you should be worrying about."Melrose snapped, fuming. _What are you doing?_ A voice inside her screamed, _Don't blow it now!_

Negan chuckled darkly, "Oh shit, do you really think that's wise, darlin'? Did I not just have this fucking conversation?"

Melrose swallowed hard as a chill slithered down her spine at his grim tone, and the silent rage burning in his dark eyes. She sighed lowering her gaze, "I'm...sorry, Negan."She replied, in a defeated tone.

"Oh babydoll, don't you worry about it, we're bound to have a few lover quarrels."He grinned, in a mocking voice, "I'll let it slide this time...now how about we kiss and makeup?"He said, lustfully, as he pulled her into his arms.

Melrose was trapped in his embrace, her arms were pinned against his chest in an uncomfortable position, she glared up at him as his hands grabbed her ass, "What the hell—"She was cut off by Negan forcing his tongue into her mouth. Anger was boiling within her, as she knew he was doing this to mess with Rick, for once, she overpowered the side of her that wanted to lose herself in his kiss. She wiggled her arms free and shoved him away, almost stumbling backward as she did so, she wiped the saliva from her mouth and glowered over at him, "What the shit, was that fucking necessary?"She spat,

Rick scowled at Negan, his hand clutched Lucille tighter until his knuckles grew white, his other hand formed a fist at his side. Negan smirked, "Aww, now Rick, I know how it looks,"He replied, strolling over to him, "you want to protect your baby girl, but I promise you, that she's in good hands...I know she was putting up a fight right now, but let me tell you, when it's me and her alone...she _**loves**_ it, she starts purring like a fucking kitten."He smirked, his eyes focusing on Melrose.

She lowered her eyes, feeling a blush rising on her face, embarrassed at Negan's words and sickened that they were true. He was doing this to humiliate her, to fuck around with Rick's emotions. Her hands balled into fists as Negan began to laugh sinisterly, irritation began to bubble up within her, she cut her eyes up at Negan, before turning on her heels and storming out of the garage. _Fucking bastard!,_ She thought, her nostrils flared, fuming in anger as she clenched and unclenched her fists. She needed to hit something, anything, just to get all this rage out, her narrowed eyes darted up and focused on to the front door of the house; Melrose stormed towards the door, her right hand balled into a tight fist, her knuckles had turned white from the tension as she hauled her arm back and punched the door hard, growling in frustration. Melrose gritted her teeth as her breath came out in angered huffs as her fist still lingered against the door, an aching throbbing already began to pulsate throughout her hand.

"Mel?"

"What?"She spat, glaring over to see her father slowly approaching her, Melrose's expression slowly softened as Rick neared her, "I-I just..."

"I get it,"Rick replied, in a hushed tone before he sighed, "Melrose, y-you've got to be careful."

Melrose arched a brow at her father, "Careful? Dad, what are you talking about?"She questioned,

Rick's brow furrowed, his eyes hardened as his grip on the barbwire bat tightened, "You know what I mean, Mel, you and... _ **him**_. You can't do that to Jase-—"

"Are you fucking kidding me?"Melrose retorted, glaring at her father. Disbelief and hurt began to flow through her, "I don't need this ***-Damn lecture, Dad!"

Rick returned the expression, "Melrose Victoria—"

"I'm not a fucking child!"She bellowed, "D-Do you even realize what I'm trying to do?"

"What are you talking about?"He asked,

"I'm trying to—"Melrose began but abruptly quietened herself once she spotted Negan strolling over to them, smirking. Rick glared back at him and then back to his daughter who had lowered her gazed,

"What's going on out here, eh?"Negan asked, arching a brow, "Sounded like a pretty heated conversation."He said, his dark eyes darting between the two, "Everything okay?"

Melrose cut her eyes up at Negan, "Yeah, everything's peachy."She said, curtly.

"Good, glad to hear it."He replied, in a nonchalant tone, clearly not believing her. His eyes then focused on her arms which were folded against her chest, the knuckles on her right hand were beginning to bruise. He arched a brow and abruptly clamped a strong hand around her slender wrist, yanking her arm towards him, "Now, what happened here?"Negan inquired, glancing up to met Melrose's gaze.

"Nothing."She snapped, freeing herself from his grip,

"Doesn't look like nothing, damn, from the looks of it you can deliver a hell of a punch."

She glared up at him, "Do you wanna..."Melrose began but quickly stopped herself before she could finish her sentence.

Negan closed the distance between them, towering over her as he stared down at her with narrowed eyes, he arched a bushy brow, "What were you gonna say, Melrose?"He asked,

She sighed, lowering her gaze, "Nothing."Melrose replied,

Negan chuckled darkly as he smirked, "Good girl."He said, patting her on the cheek, Melrose smacked his hand away and glared up at him. She sighed and crossed her arms across her chest as the two male Saviors came out of the house, carrying some of the confiscated guns; she watched as they called to another group of Saviors for help, one hopped into one of the trucks and drove it over to the house, parking out in the front while the others followed the two male Saviors back inside the house to retrieve the rest of the firearms. Negan smirked widely, as the men came to and fro, carrying gun after gun and loading them safely and properly into the back of the moving truck.

Rick and Melrose stood in silence as Negan began to chuckle, grinning widely, "Today is a banner day, yes it is! I think this little arrangement we have is gonna work out, just fine."He smirked. A Savior strolled out of the house wielding an armload of guns, on top of the rifles was a semi-automatic pistol, a Beretta M9, Melrose noted, the gun caught Negan's eye. "Hold on,"Negan grinned, quickly snatching the pistol from the pile as the man walked by, "let's see if you've been taking care of my guns."He said, his gaze focusing on to Rick as he pointed the gun at Melrose, the hammer on the pistol clicked, signaling that it was ready to fire.

Melrose stared back at him, her ice blue eyes rounded in fright as her heart crawled into her throat, she swallowed hard, as her entire body froze as she met Negan's darkened gaze. "No!"Rick cried,

Negan's smirk widened as he moved the gun towards an upstairs window of the house, he pulled the trigger, the gunshot rang out and the glass shattered once the bullet met its target, the shell clattered to the asphalt. Rick stumbled forward, placing a quaking hand onto Melrose's shoulder; she jumped startled, looking up at her father, whose face mirrored her own, all color had drained from their faces, and fear covered them like a shadow. Melrose finally released the breath that she had been holding back, as she slowly looked back to Negan who chuckled, "Feels good, sounds good."Negan said, with a smirk which quickly vanished as he noticed their expressions, "Damn Rick...do you honestly think that I'd shoot my own _**wife**_?"He asked, his tone sounded offended.

Slowly the fear melted away and was replaced with anger, Melrose glared at him as her hands balled into tight fists, which caused his smirk to return. Suddenly loud scuffled footsteps could be heard from within the house, the front door swung open and out came Arat, her face wrinkled in a scowl as she dragged Olivia outside with her, down the stoned single stepped porch of the house. Arat shoved her before Negan, Rick, and Melrose; Olivia stumbled almost falling to the ground, Melrose quickly caught her and helped to steady her, "What's going on?"She asked, noticing the fear and tears swelling up in Olivia's eyes. "Olivia, are you okay?"She asked, softly, to which the woman just nodded fearfully.

Negan narrowed his eyes over at Arat, "Hey, Arat, we don't do that, unless they do something to deserve it."He snapped.

"Yeah, we went through the inventory, guns in the armory, guns they had around the walls, they're short."Arat spat, narrowing her eyes at Olivia, "Glock 9 and a .22 Bobcat."She replied, handing Negan the notebook that belonged to Olivia.

A chill slithered down Melrose's spine as Negan glowered over at Rick, whose brow had furrowed in uncertainty, "Is that true?"Negan asked, arching a brow, his eyes darting between Olivia and Rick,

Olivia slowly nodded, as she trembled in fear, "We had some people leave town, those guns probably went with them—"Rick began,

"So Olivia sucks at her job, is that what you're sayin'?"Negan said, curtly,

Rick shook his head, "No, no I'm not sayin' that."He said.

"There should be a full account in here, right?"Negan snapped, smacking the notebook into his other palm, "Top to bottom. Am I right?"He barked, his gaze now moved to Olivia,

Olivia's lip quivered, "No...I-I mean, yes."She stammered, nervously, "The inventory's correct."

"Good."Negan said, with a nod as he approached Melrose and Olivia, his dark eyes locking onto the older woman, "But not so good too, ya see what's in here,"He said, jabbing a finger into the cover of the notebook, "isn't in there, you're two handguns short. Do _**you**_ know where they are?"He asked, invading Olivia's personal space.

Melrose glared over at him as he continued to frighten Olivia, "N-No...I don't."She answered, her voice trembling.

Negan sighed in frustration as he took a step backward, looking back at Rick, with a wrinkled brow, "That's disappointing, Rick. I thought we had an understanding, but this, well this shows that someone's not on board, and I can't have that."Negan said, sternly. He looked back to Olivia and smiled grimly, "I don't enjoy killing women,"He said, Melrose froze instantly at those words as an image of Beatrice flashed in her mind, a gasp caught in her throat, as he continued, "men, I can waste them _**alllll**_ the live long, but at the end of the day, Olivia, my dear, this was **YOUR** responsibility!"Negan growled, glaring at the woman who began to cry,

Fear rushed through Melrose's veins like ice water, she stood unmoving, her hands trembling at her sides as the scene continued to play out around her, Rick stepped forward, "Look, we can work this out—"

"Oh, yes we can!"Negan snapped, cutting Rick off once again, "And I'm going to—right now."He bellowed, his dark eyes focusing back onto Olivia who continued to cry, "This was **YOUR** job and **YOU** screwed up. Keeping track of guns? That shit is...life and death!"Negan shouted angrily, as Olivia whimpered,

"Stop!"Melrose cried, stepping forward, blocking Olivia from Negan who glared down at her, "P-Please...stop, it...it was just a mistake, everyone screws up—"

"That they do, babydoll, but this right here, there's no room for fuck ups."Negan spat.

Melrose's brow furrowed, she stared up at him with pleading eyes, "Please Negan..."She said, softly, tenderly touching his forearm,

Negan sighed, "***-Damn, it babydoll,"He said, shaking his head before he looked over at Rick narrowing his eyes at him, "Gather your people and find the damn guns or I'll kill Olivia, got it?"Negan snapped.

Rick slowly nodded, he looked over at Melrose and Olivia and nodded once again, Mel's brow furrowed at the fear-stricken look in her father's eyes, "D-Dad..."She whispered, as he quickly turned on his heels and trotted off, she brushed past Olivia, following after Rick when abruptly Negan grabbed her by the arm and jerked her backward, causing her to bump against his chest, his arms snaked about her waist, pinning her against him.

Her body tensed as she narrowed her eyes, "Where do you think you're running off to, darlin'?"Negan whispered in her ear, darkly.

"I'm going to help my dad look for those guns if that's all right with **you**."She snapped,

She felt him smile against her ear, his facial hair scratching against her skin, "I think your Daddy can handle that on his own, you're staying here with _**me**_."He purred,

A scowl formed on her face, "Don't you want this resolved as quickly as possible? If I go then—"

"Rick will have plenty of help, babydoll, don't you worry your pretty little head."Negan replied, grimly.

Melrose forced her way out of Negan's arms and spun around to face him, narrowing her eyes at him, he scoffed, smirking, "You really want to get away from me that much, Melrose? Or do you know who has those bad boys?"

"How the hell would I know? I haven't been here, I've been with you!"Mel snapped.

His smirk widened, "Oh, maybe somebody hid those guns before our little... _ **meeting**_."

"I don't know who has them."Mel spat.

"All right, I believe ya, damn you sure can give off that same fucking stink eye that your ol' Daddy can."Negan mocked, Melrose frowned at him which caused his smile to darken, "How about we take a load off somewhere, this is gonna take a while."

"How about no."Melrose retorted, turning away from him, walking towards the small stone porch of the house. Olivia had taken a set on the stoop and Melrose sat down beside her, crossing her legs properly so no one could see up her dress. Her eyes shot up hardening at Negan who shook his head, clenching his jaw, before he turned on his heels and strolled towards the moving truck, leaning against the back of the vehicle. Olivia sniffled and wept at her side, wiping her eyes with the sleeve of her tanned cardigan, Melrose felt sorry for her, she did not deserve this. "Hey, Olivia, it's going to be okay."She said softly, placing a comforting arm about her, "Dad's going to find those guns, he's not going to let anything happen to you. I promise."

Olivia rested her head on Melrose's shoulder as she continued to cry, "I-I know..."She whimpered.

"It's going to be okay."Melrose said, once more, not only for reassurance for Olivia but for herself as well. _It's...got to be._

* * *

Melrose sighed and shifted on the stone stoop, her legs had begun to ache from sitting in this position for so long and so she finally moved and stretched her legs out before her. Olivia had finally stopped crying but still had a fear-stricken look on her pale face, her hands fidgeted nervously in her lap. It had been an hour and Rick still hadn't returned, Melrose figured that her father had assembled all the residents of Alexandria at the small church that was in the midst of the community, it was a small country church with creaky, uncomfortable wooden inside, a tall white steeple rose above the small building and could be seen from any part of the community, even now, Melrose saw it looming high above in the distance. The church had always acted as the meeting place whenever there was something that needed to be discussed with all the inhabitants who lived here, she knew that that's where they'd be, but why, why was it taking so long?

She glanced up to see Negan still leaning against the moving truck, one of the Saviors had come by and handed him a beer from a box of supplies that they were taking, she narrowed her eyes at him as he cracked the can open. His dark eyes darted over to her and that smug ass smirk spread across his face as he took a long drink, " _ **Ahhhhhh**_."Negan sighed, in an over-exaggerated manner.

Melrose chewed the inside of her lip and swallowed, she was parched, the sun was now blaring down and the humidity had increased making it hotter than before; her skin glistened with a light sweat as she continued to watch Negan and his chilled drink. She licked her lips lightly, the last thing she had to drink was the lemonade Jase had made and that was hours ago. Negan's lips curled into a devilish grin as he met her gaze again, he nodded his head, beckoning her to come over. She sighed under her breath as she carefully got up from the stoop, quickly pulling the dress down and walked over to him, "What is it?"Mel asked, folding her arms across her chest as she looked up at him.

Negan's smirk widened as he stared down at her, he arched a bushy brow, "You looked thirsty, here."He said, offering her the can of beer.

"Thanks."She replied, taking the can from his hand. Melrose took a long swig, the cool liquid quickly quenched her thirst and took the dryness that was growing in her mouth, away. She wiped the edge of her mouth with the back of her hand and handed Negan the can back.

"Don't mention it."Negan smirked, before taking another sip, "So, what's taking your Daddy so long?"He asked.

"I-I don't know."Melrose said, lowering her gaze, "Spencer and Rosita were heading out when we got here, maybe they had the guns and they're waiting for them to come back, I mean...who knows."

"Hm."Negan grunted, finishing off the beer, "Well, if that's the case, he better hope they get back here soon, I'm getting tired of waiting."He said, annoyed.

Melrose narrowed her eyes up at him, "Well, if you had let me go like I wanted—"

"Like that wouldn't have mattered."Negan retorted, returning the expression as he crumpled the beer can, tossing it to the ground. His dark eyes met the gaze of one of the Saviors who was standing beside Olivia, he nodded his head to the man who nodded back and clicked the hammer on the handgun that he held in his hand, pointing it level to Olivia's head. She began to cry, pleading with the man before her.

Melrose's eyes widened as fear gripped her, "No! Negan, tell him to stop, please don't do this...I-I'm sure Dad will be here soon, just...please, give them a little more time."She begged, grasping ahold of his forearm.

Negan stared down at her, his dark brown eyes searching her pleading ice blue eyes, his lips parted as if he were about to say something when something in the distance caught his eyes, a smirk formed on his face, "Well, perfect fucking timing."He replied. Melrose turned to see Rick approaching them, walking behind him was Aaron and Father Gabriel, Negan turned towards the Savior who was still pointing the gun at Olivia, "Get that gun out of her face."He spat, to which his lackey quickly obeyed.

Melrose closed her eyes and sighed in relief, she opened her eyes to see the men had gotten closer, that's when she noticed in her father's hand was a black cloth bag, his other hand still wielded Lucille. "What ya got for me, Rick?"Negan smirked,

"Here."Rick spat, shoving the bag into his hands.

Negan smirked and opened the bag, he began to chuckle darkly, " _ **Wellllll**_ , would ya look at that? They were here after all. Funny how a little 'holy shit somebody's gonna die' lights a fire under everybody's ass!"He snapped, "So tell me Rick, which one of your fine folks, almost cost Olivia the rest of her days? Huh?"He demanded.

"It doesn't matter anymore."Rick said, grimly.

"No, it matters."Negan snapped, "See you need to get everybody on board, **EVERYBODY**...or, we just go right back to square one."

Rick hung his head down and sighed, "Dad, who had them? Where were they?"Melrose inquired,

Rick's jaw clenched before he answered, "We found them in Spencer's house."He replied, softly.

Her eyes rounded in surprise but then quickly narrowed, her lips formed a purse line, "Spencer? He was hiding them?"She snapped, balling her hands into fists at her side.

"Yeah, we found some other things too, extra rations, few bottles of wine."

"He's been taking extra rations?"Melrose retorted, the anger continuing to grow within her, she looked over at Olivia who wore a confused expression, "Olivia, did you know that?"

"N-No...he...he must be sneaking in here after...after I leave...he does still have a key."

A scowl formed on her face, "That son of a bitch."Mel snapped, "Is he back yet?"

"No, he's not."Rick replied, "Mel, just calm down—"

"No!"Melrose shouted angrily, "That bastard put everyone's life here in danger because he's been hiding things! They could've killed Olivia because of those guns! Either you talk to him or I fucking will! He has to...he has to understand that _**this**_... _ **this**_ is how things have to be."

"Well ***-Damn,"Negan smirked, "I couldn't have phrased it better myself."His smirk widened as he wrapped an arm around Melrose, patting her on the arm, "So, Rick, where is this guy?"

"He and Rosita went out to scavenge."Rick said, "They should be getting back soon."

"Good."Negan said darkly, "Because I want to have a little talk with him."

* * *

They made their ways towards the gates of Alexandria, the Saviors had loaded up all they had desired and the trucks followed behind Negan, Melrose, Rick, and the others as they approached the gates where the remainder of the vehicles were parked, loaded up with the belongings of the Alexandrians. Melrose's eyes narrowed as the gates were opened and in, drove the old battered car pulled into through the opened gates, she caught a glimpse of Spencer behind the wheel, his eyes met her gaze, his brow furrowed as he parked and climbed out of the car. "What?"He asked, in a snarky tone.

Melrose's nostrils flared as she stormed towards him, "You've been hiding guns you son of a bitch!"She snapped, giving him a hard shove, he stumbled backward and glared at her, "They almost killed Olivia because of you! Why are you stealing things, huh? What fuck are you planning?"She screamed, shoving him once again. Anger was boiling within her, she knew that Spencer hated Rick since he had taken over leader after his mother, Deanna's death.

"Why the hell was everyone going through my house?"Spencer snapped back.

"They want our guns."Rick replied, "The inventory came up short, we had to search for them, why...why were you hiding them?"

Spencer huffed a sigh, "It doesn't matter now, now does it?"He spat, "You got them."

Melrose glared up at him, "This isn't a fucking joke, you asshole! What you did put everyone here in danger!"

He scoffed as he glared down at her, his narrowed eyes looked her up and down, "Didn't take you long to change sides, being his little whore, I guess you'd do any—"

Melrose's fist collided into Spencer's mouth, she growled in frustration as he stumbled backward, wiping the blood from his lip as he glowered over at her, "Fucking bitch."Spencer snapped, storming towards her,

"Stop! Stop it!"Rick yelled, quickly getting between them to separating the two.

"Bring it on, asshole!"Mel snarled, rushing towards him, trying to make it past her father, but Negan grabbed Melrose holding her back, "Let go of me!"She snapped, trying to wiggle out of his grip.

He chuckled darkly as she continued to struggle in his arm, "***-Damn babydoll,"Negan smirked, "you're a feisty little thing."

"Shut-up and let me go!"Melrose barked.

Negan slowly released her from his grip, her breath came out in ragged huffs as she glowered back at Spencer, who returned the expression, he wiped his bloodied lip once again, "Poor Jase,"Spencer sighed, narrowing his eyes at her, "I bet he had no idea you'd spread your legs so easily."

"Shut your fucking mouth!"Melrose snarled, rushing towards him again but Negan stopped her,

"Spencer that's enough!"Rick spat, glaring at him.

Negan's eyes narrowed at him, "So this is the guy."He said, grimly, before brushing past Melrose, he shoved Rick out of the way as he stopped before him, "So you're Spencer."

"Yeah."Spencer spat,

Negan narrowed his eyes at him, "I do not appreciate the shit **you** caused here. Not only did you almost cost little ol' Olivia her life but you just insulted my lady, right in of me...and I am **NOT** okay with that. Ya see, Spencer, I think you are a dickless little coward, trying to make yourself so big and bad, she has more balls than you, that I can assure you."Negan snapped, Spencer frowned and lowered his gaze, which caused Negan to grin darkly, arching a brow. "What, ya got nothing to say now? Good."His smirk widened before he sucker punched Spencer right in the gut, the wind was knocked out of him and his legs buckled beneath him, Spencer wheezed as he coughed before he slowly looked up at Negan who punched him in the face, before elbowing him hard in the head,

"Stop! Stop it!"Rosita screamed, running over to them but Aaron quickly pulled her back,

Melrose flinched as Negan continued his assault until Spencer spat up blood and collapsed onto the asphalt before him, Negan chuckled darkly, "Oh come on, I thought you were the **SHIT** , ya ain't even gonna get up and even try to get a punch in?"He taunted, before kicking him one last time in the ribs which caused him to groan. Rosita fought her way out of Aaron's grasp and raced over to Spencer, bending down to him, helping him to a sitting position. Rosita glared up at Negan and Melrose, "Ooooh Rick, you better tell this girl to stop giving me that look, I don't want to have to smack it off her pretty little face."He warned, leering down at her.

Melrose lowered her gaze, avoiding Rosita's glare, a twinge of guilt welled up within her. "Look you got the guns, just...just stop this, I'll talk to Spencer once you leave."Rick replied, softly.

Negan's smirk widened, "You want me to leave, Rick, is that it?"He asked. Melrose glanced up to see her father's lowered eyes, his brow was wrinkled and he looked as if he was struggling to find words, Negan arched a brow, "Is there something you want to ask me, Rick?"

Rick nodded his head and slowly looked up at him, "Now, that you know we can follow your rules..."

"Yeesssss?"Negan smirked,

"I'd like to ask you if Melrose...if Melrose can stay."Rick said, his eyes focused on to Melrose who gasped at his words, her heartbreaking,

"D-Dad..."She muttered, taking a step forward but was blocked by Negan's outstretched arm,

"Not happening."Negan snapped, "You honestly think I'm gonna be separated from my new wife? Nah, she ain't _**evvveer**_ staying here."He said, smirking as he pulled Melrose to his side. Her body tensed against him and unshed tears burned the backs of her eyes, as her heart continued to shatter within her as Negan's words echoed in her ears. "Besides, Melrosy wants to stay with me, isn't that right, babydoll?"He leered, down at her, tightening his grip on her.

She stared up at him, disbelief shimmered in her eyes the tears were streaming down her cheeks now, "I-I..."Melrose struggled to speak, she couldn't believe that he was going to force her to say those dreaded, words that were untrue. She swallowed hard as she looked over to see her father crying, she forced back a sob, "I-I...I...want to stay...with..with N-Negan."She forced the words out and immediately hated herself.

"Good girl."Negan smirked, "Ya see?"

Melrose cried and shoved him off of her, "I-I'm sorry, Dad..."She wept.

Negan's smirk widened as he wrapped an arm around her once again, "Welllll, you tried."He said, eyeballing Rick, as he shrugged his shoulders. "Now, what ya gotta do is get over that tall wall of yours and try harder out there. Earn for me, because we're coming back soon, and when we do you better have something interesting for us or Lucille, she's gonna have her way."He snapped. Melrose stared up at him with fear in her eyes, but Negan's dark eyes were still focused on Rick as he scowled. "I want you to hear that again, if you don't have something **interesting** for us, somebody's gonna die. And no more magic guns, all right? It's getting late, let's go home."Negan said, grinning down at Melrose who narrowed her eyes at him.

The Saviors finished loading up the trucks and one by one they began to climb into the vehicles, Negan smirked back at Rick, sighing deeply, "Sooooo, nobody died, and you know what I think? I think you and I, we refined our understanding. Let me ask you something, Rick, do you want me to go?"He asked, letting his hand slide slowly down Melrose's side before he approached Rick.

"I..I think that'll be good."Rick said, lowering his eyes.

"Then just say those two magical words."He said, his smirk widening.

Melrose's brow furrowed as she watched her father succumb to Negan's will, "Dad...?"She whispered, tears still stinging her eyes.

Rick lowered his head and sniffled before looking back up at Negan with hardened eyes, "Thank you."He said, through gritted teeth.

Negan chuckled, grinning widely, "Don't be ridiculous, thank you!"He said in a mocking tone. "All right, let's move out!"He said, the Saviors that had yet to pile into the trucks began to do so now. Negan grabbed Melrose by the arm dragging her with him before he suddenly stopped, "Oh wait,"He said, turning towards Rick, forcing Melrose to move along with him, "how careless of me. You didn't think I was gonna leave Lucille, did ya? I mean after what she did, why would you want her?"

With trembling hands, Rick returned the barbed wire bat back to Negan, who grinned as he took it back, "Thank you for being so accommodating, friend."He grinned, darkly, before he leaned into Rick, "In case you haven't caught on, I just slid my dick down your throat and you thanked me for it."

Melrose glared up at him, "You fucking bastard!"She growled, struggling to break out of his iron-like grip. Rick stood speechless, unmoving, as Negan laughed dragging her away, "No! Let me go!"She retorted, seeing the other Alexandrians joining the small group at the gates. Her eyes frantically searched the crowd, searching for any glimpse of Jase but...he wasn't there, a hard sob caught in her throat as she realized, he wasn't coming.

Tears trickled down her cheeks as she went limb in Negan's grasp, "Oh shit, that's...that's brutal, lover boy, ain't even gonna come to see you off? Damn."He sighed, shaking his head as forced her into the truck.

"Shut-up!"Melrose snapped, glaring up at him, "Just...just shut-up..."She cried, as the engine roared to life and the convoy began to leave Alexandria to head back to the Sanctuary.

* * *

The ride back to the Sanctuary felt like an eternity. Melrose sat at Negan's side with her arms folded across her chest, she rested her head against the cool glass of the window as she stared outside, not really focusing on anything. She felt angry, sad, and numb. _Jase...y-you couldn't even come for me? You couldn't even have been there...?_ She thought, irritated, but a part of her understood, this...this was hard for everyone, not just her. Mel sighed, as her mind went back to Judith, about now, she would be waking up from her nap, expecting to see her big sister, and when she wouldn't see her, Melrose knew that she would be throwing a tantrum. Her heart ached at the thought, a tear rolled down her cheek which she quickly brushed away, she closed her eyes and sighed as the truck continued down the road. The convoy finally reached the Sanctuary, as the tires of the truck crunched through the gravel, Melrose opened her eyes and narrowed them at the looming factory that had become her prison. She chewed the inside of her cheek as anger began to overpower the other emotions she was feeling. Arat parked the truck and cut the engine, Melrose quickly flung open the door and hopped out of the truck with Negan following close behind her.

"Hang on a moment, babydoll."He said,

She cut her eyes back at him, "What?"Mel grumbled, turning towards him crossing her arms. She watched as Negan strolled around to the back of the truck, and forced open the back, Melrose shifted on her feet waiting while he rummaged through the loaded down back of the truck, she glanced over and noticed that the other trucks and vans had parked and the Saviors that had gone to Alexandria were now unloading the belongings they had taken. Melrose lowered her eyes, the anger within her was growing, Negan sauntered back around carrying the duffle bag that was filled with her belongings was over his shoulder, a grin spread across his face as he approached her. "Here ya go, darlin'."

"Yeah thanks."Melrose spat, snatching the bag from him and slipping the strapped handle on to her shoulder. "Hey, Negan."

"Yesss?"

Melrose closed the distance between them, she cut her eyes up at him, "I'm done playing your fucking games, I'm through with you dicking me around. I want my own room. I don't care who you have to kick out! I want my own room like you fucking promised!"She snapped.

Negan leered down at her, that grin spread across his face, his dark eyes glistened, "***-Damn, look at **yooooooou**."He taunted, "Sure thing, babydoll, but how about you ask nicely, I know your Daddy taught you some manners. So how about you say that magic little word." Negan smirked, down at her.

Melrose rolled eyes as she lowered her gaze, she gripped the strap of the shoulder bag tightly, rage boiling inside her. She reluctantly lifted her head and met his gaze, "Please."She forced the word out through gritted teeth, narrowing her eyes at him.

His smirk widened, "There, that's all you had to say."Negan replied, patting her playfully on the cheek.

She swatted his hand away, glaring up at him, when a sudden jolt of realization surged through her, making her hair stand on ends, "You mean...I could've had my own room the whole time?"Mel spat,

"Sure thing, darlin;, but you never said _**please**_."He smirked, leering down at her as he began to chuckle darkly.

Her nostrils flared as anger continued to boil within her, "You son of a bitch!"Melrose snapped, smacking him hard across the face. Negan rubbed his cheek, a dark throaty laugh escaped his lips, Melrose swallowed hard and her entire body froze as the sound of readying guns clicked about her in unison. She looked about her to find all of the Saviors who were unloading the trucks had all stopped and were now encircling them, pointing their loaded guns at her. Her heart pounded loudly within her chest, she closed her eyes and exhaled, _If...if this is how it is going to end...then so be it.,_ She thought, holding her head up high.

Negan narrowed his eyes at his people, his lips formed a purse line, "What the hell do you think ya'll are doing, pointing your guns at her like that? Lower that shit!"He snarled,

Melrose lowered her eyes, a shadow of melancholy seemed to cover her, as Negan closed the distance between the, she adverted her eyes from looking at any part of him, as she took she a step back. "Don't be afraid, babydoll, I'm not mad and I'm not gonna hurt, I don't hit women,"He said, Mel bit back the words and stayed silent. Negan gripped her chin tightly, forcing her to face him, "But I just have to ask, were you...wanting to die just then? Because that fight that burns in your eyes is snuffed out."

"I..."Melrose began to say when suddenly she stopped. Her eyes focused on to a man who was walking away from them; in the back pocket of the tattered jeans that he was wearing, was a stuffed animal, a lavender bunny with a missing button eye. Her heart dropped as fear and anger gripped her, "Hey...hey!"She shouted, running after him. He glanced over his shoulder at her and ignored her, Melrose narrowed her eyes at him as she neared him, snatching the stuffed animal from his pocket,

"Hey!"He snapped, spinning around glaring at her,

"Where did you get this?"Mel demanded, panting to recapture her breath, her heart hammered within in loudly that the pulse seemed to echo in her ears. "Where did you get this!?"

The man who looked about a year or two younger than Negan, he stood a foot taller than her and was lanky, his shaggy and unkempt hair hung down past his ears and was the color of cornsilk. His pale blue-green eyes narrowed at her, as he clenched his jaw, "A house in Alexandria, what's it—"

Melrose punched him in the face, blinded by the rage fuming out of her, "You fucking bastard!"She screamed,

"H-Hey...you fucking bitch!"He snarled, angrily raising a hand as if to smack her but Negan (who was now standing facing them) gripped the man's arm and twisted it, causing him to wince.

Negan glared down at the man, "What the hell is going on here?"He snapped.

"S-She just came up and attacked me, you saw it, Negan!"

"Shut-up, Jack."Negan retorted, releasing him from his grip, "Melrose—"

"This is Judith's!"She snapped, "When I put her down for her nap, I tucked her in with this rabbit! That means...h-he went in her room after we left!"Melrose shouted, angrily, her hands trembling, as she clutched the lavender stuffed animal, tightly for support. "Oh my god...d-did you hurt her! I swear to God, I'll kill you if you did!"She shrieked, lunging towards the man but Negan blocked her,

"Whoa now, settle down, babydoll,"He said, his dark eyes darted over to the man named Jack and narrowed, "This true, Jack? Did you really steal this from a baby?"

"I-I...well yeah, look I didn't hurt the kid, but I thought my little girl would like it and—"

Negan groaned, "That house was already cleared, why the hell did you go back?"He barked,

"I-I didn't know and I-I just thought I'd give it another check...look that kid with the eyepatch—"

Melrose's eyes shut up at him and narrowed, _Carl!,_ She thought, fearfully, "Did you hurt my brother?"She gasped,

"No...the kid just let me in, heh, he knew better than to... _ **decline**_."The man named Jack smirked,

Mel's nostrils flared in anger as she stepped towards him but once again, Negan stopped her, "Let me handle this, babydoll."He replied,

Melrose pouted up at him, her narrowed eyes then darted over to Jack and she sighed, gripping the stuffed animal close to her chest as her expression slowly softened. "J-Judith...she's going to throw a fit when she's this is missing...she's already going to when she sees that I'm not..."She trailed off, unable to finish the sentance, as her heart crumbled within her.

Negan released a sigh, "Come on, babydoll, I'll show you your room."He said.

"Wait, wait, wait a mintue! Y-You aren't just gonna let her get away with are you?"Jack snapped,

"Are you really fucking telling _**ME**_ , what to do? Do you think that's a good idea, Jacky boy?"Negan retorted, towering over him.

"N-No..it's just...I-I promised my kid, I'd get her something and—"

"That's not my fucking problem!"Negan yelled, " **YOU** are gonna let, Melrose, keep this, because you stole it from her baby sister!"He barked, "And if it's such a big fucking deal, go to the Marketplace and get your kid something, tell it's on me."

"W-Wow, you'd really do that, Negan?"

"If it'll stop your bitching, yeah."He said, with a roll of his eyes, "Come on, darlin'."Negan said, turning on his heels, Melrose sighed and followed behind him.

* * *

Melrose silently followed behind Negan, her eyes were focused onto the lavender bunny with its missing eye, she tenderly rubbed the stuffed animal's head, her heart breaking at the thought of Judith squalling for her and her favorite toy. She hadn't been paying much attention to where he was leading her, until she glanced up to see a hallway that she was becoming accustomed to, her brow furrowed as she sighed, "Seriously, there isn't a vacant room on any other floor? It **HAS** to be on the same floor as yours?"Melrose hissed,

Negan glanced back at her and smirked, "Of course, babydoll, I got to keep a close eye on you."He said, his smirk widening, "You're my girl, after all."

Melrose rolled her eyes, _Dammit...,_ She thought, pouting.

"Oh come on now, darlin' don't pout,"He leered over at her, as he paused before a door, "isn't this what you wanted? Your own room? Or are you havin' second thoughts on being away from me?"

She narrowed her eyes at him, and then looked down the hallway, she made notice that this room was a few doors down from the large room where Negan's wives stayed but she couldn't help but notice _**his**_ door looming at the end of the hall. "This is perfect, actually."Melrose replied, flashing a smile up at him as he opened the door. Negan leaned against the door frame, with his arms folded across his chest, watching Melrose as she wandered into room: her eyes instantly focused on to the twin-sized bed, the wrought iron bed frame looked like the bars from a prison cell, she noticed the multiple plush pillows that were littered across the bed, falling onto the lavender blankets; there was a small cherry wood nightstand perched right beside the bed with a small desk lamp and alarm clock perched neatly on the top, she couldn't help but notice the book she had gotten the first day she was here, was placed onto the bed. Her eyes narrowed at it, realizing that Negan had been toying with her all along, _Fucking bastard._ She thought, biting her bottom lip. Her eyes darted to the small closet that was adjacent from the bed, the only clothes hanging inside were the clothes that she had discarded her first night here, only now they were freshly clean, her combat boots sat perched in front of the closet's open door. Hanging on the closet door was a tall full-length mirror, she frowned at her reflection and her brow furrowed once she focused on Negan's smirking image in the mirror.

She rolled her eyes and continued to look about the room, there was a plush light gray armchair sitting in the corner on the other side of the room, beside of it was a medium-sized bookshelf which still had some bare spaces but Melrose, most of the titles she had never heard of, she quickly noted a worn copy of 'The Great Gatsby', amongst the books. "I know you like to read, I had some of the boys pick a few things for ya, not sure if you like any of these."Negan replied. Melrose's lowered her gaze and spotted a light purple glow coming from a nightlight plugged into the wall by the bookshelf. "And I'm guessing you don't like the dark since we had to sleep with the lamp on last night,"He grinned, as Melrose blushed, "soooo, I hope it's to your liking, babydoll."

Melrose lowered her gaze, her grip on the stuffed bunny tightened, "H-How long have you been getting this ready?"She asked,

His smirk darkened, "Well, ever since you asked, babydoll, _**buuuuutttt**_ , like I said, you never said please."Negan leered.

Melrose turned around, glaring up at him, "Get out."She snapped,

Negan arched a bushy brow at her, "Excuse me?"He said, through gritted teeth, closing the distance between them, he loomed over her.

"I said...GET OUT!"Melrose shouted, shoving him with all of her strength. A shocked expression washed across Negan's face as he stumbled backward, grasping the door frame for support, Melrose quickly slammed the door shut, almost crushing Negan's fingers but he swiftly moved his hand. With trembling hands, Melrose hurriedly locked the door and pressed her back against it, her breath coming out in ragged huffs,

"***-Dammit, Melrose...that was fucking rude, honey!"Negan bellowed, giving the door a hard kick.

"Do you think I give a shit!"Melrose barked back, "Go away!"

Through the door, she heard Negan angrily growl under his breath, "Fine...I get it, you've had a **hellll** of a day, I'll let it slide, but...I expect to see you in my room for dinner tonight, seven o'clock sharp. Not a second late, got it, babydoll?"He said, curtly.

Melrose closed her eyes, wrapping her arms about her knees, pulling them close to her chest— **BAM!** —she jolted startled at the sound of Negan's closed fist colliding with the door, "DID YOU FUCKING HEAR ME?"He snarled,

"YES, I HEARD YOU! NOW FUCK OFF!"Melrose screamed.

Negan huffed a sigh, "Good."

She heard his footsteps walking away and finally released a sigh, tears burned the backs of her eyes as she looked down at Judith's lavender bunny, a sob escaped her lips as she gently scooped it up into her hands and clutched it tightly to her chest, crying.

* * *

The sun was setting and the sky was turning dark, Negan had showered and had put on some fresh clean clothes and had begun to set the table, just as there was a knock at the door, he smirked. He exited the kitchen and crossed the room, opening the door, to see Dougie and his mother, Susan, each was holding a large casserole dish and medium-sized pot in their hands.

"Hi, Negan."Dougie smiled up at him,

"Wellllll, hello, Dougie. Susan, come on in."He said, "Let me help, ya darlin'."Negan replied, taking one of the dishes from Susan's hands,

"Oh thank you, Mr. Negan."She grinned. Susan was a short, chunky woman in her forties, she had short auburn colored hair which she always had tucked behind her ears, she was dressed in a light blue sweat jumpsuit with an white apron tied about her waist which was dirtied from her work in the kitchen.

"Sure smells, good."Negan replied, as he led them to the kitchen.

"Thank you, I hope your new wife enjoys."Susan said,

"I'm sure she will, Susan. Thank you. And thank you, Dougie, you be good out there."Negan said, playfully grabbing the boy in a headlock and ruffling up his hair which caused Dougie to burst into snorting laughter.

Susan smiled faintly, "C-Come on, Dougie, we should be going..."She said, placing a protective arm around her son as she led him out of the kitchen and towards the door. Negan began to uncover the dishes: there was a dish full of grilled salmon fillets, the next had steamed carrots, another had roasted broccoli and spring onions and the last was dessert which appeared to be a chocolate pudding cake, that was still warm. _***-Damn, Melrosy's gonna love this.,_ He thought, noting how she had a soft spot for sweets.

Negan plated their food, poured a glass of wine for each of them and sat down, placing his arms behind his head as he leaned back in his chair, glancing up at the ticking clock that hung on the kitchen wall, noticing it read: 7:10. His lips formed a purse line as his brow furrowed, seeing that Melrose still had not arrived, he sighed, _Cut her some slack...she's had a rough day and is probably just freshening up.,_ He told himself.

Negan's nostrils flared in anger as he sat, his fingers drumming against the table top, still waiting for Melrose Grimes to arrive, his dark eyes cut up at the clock once again, 8:00. His eyes narrowed as he flew out of his chair, "Fuck this!"He growled, under his breath as he stormed out of his room, grabbing Lucille before he slammed the door behind him.

* * *

Melrose lay curled up on the bed, holding her sister's stuffed animal bunny close to her, her eyes red and sore from crying. She sniffled as her eyes darted over to the alarm clock, the green glowing numbers read: 8:06 P.M, she squeezed her eyes shut, her stomach growled but she ignored it. She felt drained and empty, she had unpacked her bag and placed all her clothes into the closet and had hung all the pictures Jase had given her onto the walls with some tape she had found in the nightstand drawer, which also held a flashlight and extra batteries. She had changed from the skimpy black dress and into a pair of black sweatpants and a white tank top after she had settled in. Melrose slowly opened her eyes and smiled faintly at the photos, it made the room feel more personal, but this...still wasn't home.

She sighed, wiping her wet cheeks when suddenly— **BAM! BAM BAM!—** Melrose jolted upright in bed at the sudden noise, "WHAT THE HELL, MELROSE?!"Negan snarled, angrily, from outside of the door.

Melrose glared at the door and folded her arms across her chest, she had a feeling he was going to be angry when she skipped out on having dinner with him, but she wasn't expecting him to bash Lucille violently against her door. "What?"She snapped,

"WHAT..."Negan growled, before sighing, trying to calm himself down, "What do you mean, what? I thought we were going to have dinner together, did you forget?"

"No, I didn't forget, you never really asked, and I never agreed."Melrose replied, curtly.

"Are you fucking serious, babydoll, get...get the fuck out here, now and I'll forget this happened."

Melrose wandered over to the door, her arms still folded across her chest, "No."She said.

"Dammit, Melrose, just...just come out and have dinner with me."

"I said, no! I'm not hungry."She lied.

 **BAM**! Lucille collided with the door once again, "***-Dammit! OPEN THIS ***-DAMN DOOR!"Negan snarled, "YOU OPEN THIS DOOR OR YOU WON'T EAT AT ALL! DO YOU HEAR ME!?"

"FINE!"Melrose barked.

"WHY ARE YOU BEING SO DAMN STUBBORN?"

"WHY ARE YOU SUCH A JACKASS?"Melrose yelled, "Why would I want to be anywhere near you? Especially now, when you're acting like a ***-Damn psycho!"

She heard Negan growl under his breath as Lucille once again was bashed against the door, making her jump. "Fine, you want to play this fucking game, sweetheart, then we'll fucking play it!"Negan roared,

Melrose glared at the door, knowing that on the other side, Negan was wearing the same expression. She heard shuffling and then the static from a walkie-talkie, "Dwight!"He bellowed into the receiver, there was an electronic beep as he released the button,

" _Yeah_?"Dwight's voice asked over the walkie-talkie.

"Get your ass up here, pronto! My new **wifey** , is being...rather difficult, so you're gonna stand guard outside her door, she doesn't leave, she doesn't eat. Got it?"

There was once again an electronic beep, followed by static. " _Yeah, sure. I'll be there in ten."_

"Make it five, Dwighty boy."Negan hissed, "Do you hear that, babydoll? I don't want to have to treat you like a ***-Damn prisoner but I fucking will, until this little attitude of yours quits."

Melrose scoffed, "Oh, you're one to fucking talk! You're throwing a tantrum like a fucking two-year-old all because I don't want to eat with you? Yeah, real mature, Negan. What happened to you not forcing your wives to do things, eh? Or does that only matter if it's sex?"She spat.

Negan growled angrily under his breath, slamming his fist against the door, "Honey,"He snarled, darkly, "it isn't wise to piss me off, you've seen that first hand."

"Oooh, so now you're threatening me? I thought you didn't beat women, but then again, you and I both know you're full of shit on that one."

"***-DAMMIT, MELROSE, OPEN THE FUCKING DOOR!"Negan roared, frantically jiggling the door handle.

Melrose took a step backward, her eyes glued onto the doorknob that was constantly moving. A chill ran down her spine, as her heart crept into her throat, she knew if that door opened, Negan wouldn't kill her but he most definitely would do... _ **something**_...and that terrified her. She knew shouldn't have egged him on like this, but her anger got the best of her and her tongue did the rest.

 **BAM!** Melrose jumped startled as the sound of Lucille colliding with the wood of the door, pulled her from her thoughts, her eyes moved down to the handle to see that Negan had stopped fiddling with it. "FINE!"He bellowed, "SCREW YOU, DARLIN'!"

"RIGHT BACK AT YA, ASSHOLE!"Melrose screamed back, giving the door a hard kick, before she stormed back to her bed and plopped down, hurling one of the pillows at the door.

Negan released one more frustrated growl as his fist collided with the door, a scowl was spread across his face, as his body trembled in rage. Down the hall a door creaked open, his dark eyes darted over to see some of his wives had wandered out into the hallway: Sherry, along with Tammy, Lily, and Olivia, had rushed out into the hall, staring at their _**husband**_ with fear in their eyes, Sherry, on the other hand, narrowed her eyes at him and folded her arms across her chest. His nostrils flared in anger, "Get the fuck back in your room, _**darlings**_."He warned, his grip on Lucille tightening. Tammy, Lily, and Olivia quickly scurried back into the room but Sherry remained, glowering daggers into him, he huffed a sigh as he moved away from the door, "What is it? You look like you want to tell me _**something**_."Negan taunted.

"Do you really expect for her to come around, with you acting like a total douchebag?"Sherry snapped, "You fucking _**kidnapped**_ her. You took her away from her home and her family, and brought her into _**your world**_ , it's going to take a long for her to get...adjusted to becoming one of _**us**_."

Negan squeezed his eyes shut, his brow furrowed as his lips formed a purse line, he exhaled deeply through his nose and slowly opened his eyes, refusing to met Sherry's gaze. "I-I know that...but she's got to learn."

Sherry scoffed, "So starving her is gonna teach her? You're going to make her hate you more, idiot!"She said, before sighing, as Negan slowly turned back towards the door to Melrose's room, slowly he outstretched a hand and gently placed it onto the door, his dark eyes full of sorrow. "Look, I've seen how you look at her, _**we've**_ all seen it...but you're not gonna win her over, by acting like a fucking maniac."

"I don't need this ***-Damn lecture, Sherry!"Negan barked, narrowing his eyes at her.

"Could've fooled me."She replied, rolling her eyes.

Negan's grim expression intensified, as he strolled over to Sherry, swinging Lucille at his side, "What was that, _**sweetie**_?"He asked, darkly.

Sherry cut her eyes up at him, when suddenly the sound of booted footsteps came from down the opposite side of the hallway, Negan rolled his head over to see Dwight walking down the hall, his eyes narrowed at them as he arched a brow,

"What's going on here?"Dwight asked, grimly.

"Nothing that concerns you, Dwighty boy."Negan retorted.

Dwight rolled his eyes, "Alright, so how long you want me standing guard?"He asked.

"Till morning since you ain't got nothing else to do,"Negan replied, snarkily, a dark smirk spread across his face, as his eyes darted back over to Sherry, "speaking of which, how about you and I go back to my room, _**sooooo**_ you can screw my brains out, so I can forget this whole ordeal."

Sherry shot Dwight a pain filled glance before narrowing her eyes up at Negan, "Sounds delightful."She grumbled.

Negan glanced over at Dwight who glared at him his smirk widened, "Well, you have fun, D. If Melrose causes you any trouble, you just come find me."

"Yeah, sure thing."

* * *

Night had long settled in and despite her anger, Melrose had dozed off at some point, she shifted in bed, her stomach groaned loudly which woke her up. She groggily sat up, rubbing her eyes and clutching her stomach. This wasn't the first time she had gone to bed hungry, in fact since the world had changed, it had happened more than once; near the beginning of the outbreak, Melrose gave most of her rations to Carl, she was grateful that Judith had not been born during that time, and even more grateful that she would only know the safety and security of Alexandria...or, at least she was, things were different now.

She sighed, glancing over at the clock to see it read 2:30 A.M. Her stomach groaned again, she could handle the hunger pains but the dryness in her mouth which caused her tongue to cling to the roof of her mouth, was almost unbearable. She needed water. Quietly, Melrose rose from her bed and crept over towards the door, it had been a while since she had heard Dwight's booted feet pacing back and forth before her door. Mel pressed her ear against the door and listened carefully, she no longer heard any footsteps, she could only hear the sound of crickets chriping and the wheezing and sickly gurgling of the Walkers that lined the fences down below. She carefully unlocked the door, her hand lingered on the handle for a moment before she slowly and quietly opened the door just an inch, to see an empty corridor, the hall painted silver by the light of the full moon streaming in from the windows. Melrose opened the door a bit further and peeked her head out, looking right and then left, Dwight was no where to be found. Melrose slipped into the hallway, keeping close to the wall until she reached the door at the end that lead to the stairwell which spiraled down to the lower levels of the Sanctuary. As quietly as she could she snuck down the stairs, counting each level until she stopped at the floor where the Marketplace was located. She carefully opened the door opened the door, and slunk inside, the silence mixed with the moonlight which created eerie shadows on the floors and walls and poured on to the merchants tables, made everything look so ominous. Melrose quickly spotted a table with various snacks and bottles, she snatched up a water bottle, twisted the cap off and began to drink. She placed the cap back on and continued scouting out the tables, she hadn't come down here just to quench her thirst, if she was going to be successful in her _**plan**_ , then she needed supplies, not just for the trip back to Alexandria, but she needed something to do the **d** _ **eed**_ with.

She spotted a table which had various little plastic baskets scattered about the tabletop, she trotted over to and began to shift through the baskets, which were filled with all kinds of items which ranged from ink pens to medicine capsules still in their unopened safety seals, to batteries and hair ties. Her eyes darted over to a bin full of Ziploc bags filled with batteries and different sizes of flashlights, _It wouldn't hurt to have another.,_ She thought, stuffing a bag of batteries and a small flashlight into the deep pockets of her sweatpants, along with a pen. She pouted, "Come on, there has to be something...a letter opener, switchblade, anything..."She grumbled, under her breath, when suddenly she heard footsteps approaching. She gulped as fear squeezed the breath out of her, Melrose ducked down and held her breath, as the footsteps drew closer, she could see the shadow of the figure nearing where she was hiding, _Fuck...just leave...,_ She snapped in her mind.

The figure stopped at the table, "I know you're back there, so you might as well come out."

 _Dammit,_ Melrose thought,

She slowly rose from her squatted position to see Dwight staring at her with hardened eyes and an arched brow, the burned side of his face appeared even more gruesome in the moonlight. In his hands, he held a paper plate that carried a sandwich and a bag of potato chips. "What are you doing out?"

"What are you doing not guarding my room?"

"Well, I left to make you this but I'm beginning to regret that decision."

"S-Sorry..."Melrose said, softly just as her stomach whined loudly.

Dwight's lips twitched up into a pitied smile, "Not sure if you'll like it but hey, it's better than nothing."He said, handing her the plate.

From what she could see, it appeared to be a fried egg sandwich with lettuce and tomato on lightly toasted bread. "Thanks."She replied, before taking a bite. The egg was fried to her liking, with the yolk still runny, "It's good."

"You aren't going to be able to find anything like that out here, ya know."

"W-What?"

"You were looking for a knife, right, or something... _ **sharp**_?"

All color drained from her face, turning the food in her mouth tasteless, she swallowed hard. "I-I was just looking for my knife...it's got, ya know, sentimental value."

Dwight rolled his eyes, clearly not believing her, "Right, well you aren't gonna find it here. All weapons or anything of the kind, are locked up in the armory."He replied.

 _Shit...of course, they have an armory.,_ She thought, before taking another bite. " _ **Annnd**_ , where is that?"Mel asked, with her mouth full.

Dwight scoffed, "Like I'm gonna tell you."

Melrose frowned. "Fine."She pouted, she chewed her bottom lip nerously as she glanced up at him, "Hey, you...you aren't gonna tell Negan, are you?"

"Hell no, if I did then I'd have to fess up about feeding you."Dwight retorted,

She smiled faintly, "Well thanks, for the food and for not telling him."Mel replied, as she walked past him when suddenly he grasped a hold of arm. She glanced back at him to see his face twisted in seriousness,

"Listen, just...give him what he wants, you keep making Negan wait, it's not gonna end well. And, whatever your planning, it's best just to forget about it"Dwight said, sternly.

"I don't know what—"

"Oh come on, do you honestly think you're the first one to come up with a plan like this? Trust me, it never ends well."He said, grimly.

Melrose brow furrowed as she searched his sad brown eyes, her eyes then foucsed on the burned side of his face, when a chill slithered down her spine, "Dwight...did Negan—"

"Just...just,"Dwight stopped himself and sighed as he lowered his head, releasing Melrose from his grip, "be careful, kid."

She smiled faintly, "Thanks for your concern, but I'll be fine."Mel said, "Night."She said, before walking away.

"Yeah...night."She heard Dwight mumble.

* * *

Negan laid in his bed, staring up at the ceiling painted in darkness after his rendezvous with Sherry, he sent her away, an odd feeling gnawed at the pit of his stomach. He huffed a sigh, "Dammit."He grumbled.

Guilt was twisting his stomach into knots, he ran a hand throughout his dark hair and sighed again. Melrose was so much like his Lucille and it was awakening something within him that had laid dorment since he had abandoned his wife in that hospital, a feeling he never expected to feel again.

He sat up in bed, tossing the covers aside, "Shit..."He said, softly, before getting up from the bed. Negan pulled on his jeans before he strolled over towards the coffee table and grabbed a piece of paper and a marker. He jotted something down and folded the paper in half before he left his room and wandered into the hall, heading towards Melrose's room.

* * *

Melrose had reached the level where _**everything**_ that belonged to Negan was...trapped. She had taken another bite of the sandwich as she rounded the corner when her eyes widened and she nearly choked as her entire body froze. Standing in the moonlight, right outside of her door, was Negan, he was knelt down and it looked like he had slipped something underneath the door. Quietly and swiftly she stepped backward and pressed her back against the wall. _Shit!,_ She screamed in her mind, praying that Negan had not seen her. Mel held her breath and waited...slowly she inched near the corner to take a careful peek to see that he was now standing upright and began to walk away. She released the breath she had been holding silently and listened, she could hear his footsteps leading back to his room and then, heard the door open and close. Melrose stayed there for a few mintues longer until she was sure that Negan was settled down in his room, her heart pounded nervously in her chest as she unglued herself from the wall and rushed silently down the hall, opened her door and hurried inside, locking the door behind her. "Phew..."She huffed, pressing her back against the door, when suddenly her eyes spotted a piece of paper at her feet. She arched a brow and stepped over it, placing the plate and water bottle onto the bed, "So this is what he left?"She said to no one, as she bent down and picked it up. Melrose unfolded it and her brow furrowed as she read in bold black letters Negan's message: **I'M SORRY**.

Her lips formed a purse line as she narrowed her eyes at the words on the paper before she wadded it up and tossed it across the room, ignoring the twinge of remorse that began to claw at her. She forced the feeling away as she plopped down onto the bed and opened the bag of chips and plucked a few from the bag, she empited her pockets and hid the items into her duffle bag, for now it would do find, but when she gathered more, she knew she would have to find a less obvious hiding spot. Her eyes darted over to the crumbled ball of paper, she retrieved it and sighed, leaning back against the pillows, munching on the chips as she uncrumpled the paper, reading it once more. Melrose closed her eyes, drifting off to sleep, the bag slipping from her fingers.


	5. Surviving

**Hello lovely readers, sorry this took so long. Again, I will be continuing this story as well as my GOT one, updates will just be slow. I hope you can understand. A huge thank you to everyone who has reviewed, alerted, and favorited. It really means a lot.**

 **Please review!~**

* * *

Chapter 5: Surviving

Melrose Grimes awoke with a sore neck and potato chips scattered across the bed, she sat up stretching, "Shit..."She grumbled, before scooping the chips onto the emptied paper plate. She stood up from the bed and tossed them into the small rounded tin trash bin that sat in the corner of the room by the door. Melrose stretched and ran a hand through her messy, dark long hair; she wandered over to the closet and yanked out a tank top, some clean undergarments and a pair of jean shorts, before bending down and grabbing her combat boots. She felt sweaty and her clothes began to cling to her in an uncomfortable fashion, she wanted a shower but quickly frowned, not wanting to go back to that locker room. _Well, there is another option...,_ Mel thought, her lips curling up in a mischievous grin.

She left her room after grabbing her hairbrush and toothbrush and walked down the hall towards Negan's room, her stomach quickly twisted into a knot, as she placed a trembling hand onto the doorknob and slowly opened it, peeking her head inside to see that his room was empty. Melrose slipped inside and tiptoed towards the kitchen, peering in from the door frame to see the room was empty as well. She sighed in relief and wandered into the bathroom, shutting the door behind her; she turned on the faucet letting the water warm up, as she undressed and gathered a towel and a washcloth.

Melrose stepped into the shower, sliding the glass door behind her and letting the warm water rained over her, washing away the thoughts of yesterday, she exhaled deeply, smoothing back her wet hair. If she was going to be successful in her plan of taking out Negan, then she would have to get close to him, _**closer**_ to him. She wrinkled her nose, pushing down small glimmer of tolerance until it faded away. "I've got to make this work...n-no matter what, "Mel said, in a hushed voice.

She finished her shower and cut the water off before stepping out, she dried off and wrapped the towel about her as she began to fix her hair. Mel pulled some of her damp hair back and created a messy bun leaving some pieces down to frame her face; she tossed the towel into the hamper and quickly dressed as her stomach began to growl. Melrose exited the bathroom and entered the kitchen, the coffee in the pot was still hot so she poured herself a cup, she then wandered over to the fridge and opened it, plucking two eggs from the carton, along with the butter. She gathered a frying pan (which had been freshly washed) from the sink and turned on one of the burners of the stove. She spotted a small loaf of bread sitting on the counter and grabbed two pieces before placing them into the toaster. Once the pan was heated, she cracked the eggs, letting them _sizzle_ in the pan, should she feel bad for eating Negan's food? No. She didn't in the slightest, her lips twitched into a sly grin, _He did say take whatever I wanted.,_ Mel thought.

Melrose finished cooking and plated her food, before taking a seat at the table, she took a sip of the coffee, her eyes glancing over to the empty chair and quickly lowered her gaze to her plate. She quickly ate and finished her cup of coffee, before she rose from her seat and placed the dirtied dishes into the sink.

She sighed and poured herself another cup of coffee. She leaned against the counter, taking a sip; Melrose assumed that Negan was out on another _**pickup**_ or doing...whatever it was that he did while he was here. So that left her on her own, she smiled, thankful for the solitude. This meant she could scout out the place, learn the exits, and blind spots, but she had to be cautious. She finished her cup before leaving the kitchen, she gathered her belongings after she finished freshening up and left Negan's room.

* * *

After Melrose had dropped her stuff at her room, she headed down the winding stairwell until she reached the metal door that led to the factory floor which was the Marketplace. She forced open the door which creaked loudly as she stepped out onto the floor, the Marketplace was busy and once Melrose had stepped further into the crowd, she instantly felt every eye on her. She swallowed nervously, this was the first time that she had been out here, without Negan looming beside her; everyone looked at her timidly as if it was forbidden. Whenever Melrose happened to catch someone's gaze, they quickly averted their eyes, she pitied them. She lowered her gaze as she weaved in and out of the crowd, Melrose began to take notice of tables that bore things she would need later for her escape, but that would have to wait for later.

She reached the door and stepped outside, the sun was already unforgiving even though it was early, the hot, humid air almost took her breath away and a light sweat already began to form on her brow. Melrose wiped her forehead as she ventured out into the courtyard, following the fence line until she reached the garden rows and chicken coops. There was a group gathering eggs from the coops while others were feeding the chickens were roaming about in their small area, while another group was tending to the vegetables, plucking them from the vines or pulling them from the ground. Nervous glances were already being shot at her direction as she walked down the path, Melrose chewed the inside of her cheek as she paused before one of the garden rows where a group of about seven people (three women, and four men), were gathering vegetables and placing them into large wicker baskets. "Um...Hi."She greeted, giving a nervous wave.

The people paused in what they were doing and exchanged a series of awkward glances, before one of the men, an older man stood upright, he was taller than her and had brunette graying hair, an untrimmed bread, and gray eyes. "Hello..."He said, his voice gruff and low,

"Melrose."She replied, with a slight grin, "My name is—"

"We know who you are."The man said, "W-What do you want?"

"Oh, well, I-I just thought I could maybe help out."Mel said, she noticed the group of people once again exchange nervous glances, "If...that's all right."

The man swallowed hard before he looked back at his fellow coworkers, he turned back to her, with an almost fearful look in his gray eyes, "I'm not sure if that's—"

"Look, I can guess that this is out of the norm. I assume none of Negan's... _ **wives**_ , have ever done this, but, you don't have to be scared, I just want to help. I have absolutely nothing to do, I'll do whatever that needs to be done."Mel said, with a friendly smile.

"W-We could use the extra hands, Peter."One of the women replied. She looked to be a few years older than Melrose, her light brown hair was pulled back into a ponytail, freckles dotted her cheeks, she had kind green eyes, that reminded her of Jase's.

The man named Peter sighed, "She's not on the point system, Rach."He said, rather coldly.

"Oh right, the _**points**_."Melrose frowned, lowering her gaze when abruptly an idea formed in her head, "Hey, what if I help out and whatever points I would earn we just divide them between all of you?"She suggested,

"I-Is that allowed?" asked one of the younger men of the group. He appeared to be in his thirties, his eyes were a dark chocolate hue, his sand-colored hair was messy under the faded red baseball cap that he wore on his head.

"I...I don't know."Peter said, fearfully.

Melrose's brow furrowed as she watched them all squirm, she smiled faintly at them, "Hey, if it happens to be an issue, then I'll take the blame, alright? I don't want any of you to get into trouble with Negan."She replied.

A purse grin formed on Peter's lips, "Alright."He said, handing her a wicker base, "I'm Peter, by the way."

"Nice to meet you."She grinned, bending down plucking a large, round tomato from a vine, "So...how did all of you end up here?"She asked.

"We all had formed a group together, safety in numbers," Peter began, "we were running low on supplies and Jimmy here, had gotten hurt...that's when a herd of Walkers surrounded us, we were outnumbered."

"That's when the Saviors showed up and saved us!"Rachel exclaimed, grinning from ear to ear.

"Negan gave us the opportunity to work for him and we agreed. They brought us back, they patched up Jimmy and we've been here ever since."Peter replied.

"Negan...he's a real gem."One of the other women said,

Melrose swallowed her distaste, "Yeah...h-he's something alright."She said, softly. _These poor people...,_ She thought. _So this is what they do...what_ _ **HE**_ _does, find the most desperate people out there, play hero and brainwash them into serving their fucked up needs...they are all sick._ Mel thought, grimly, plucking another tomato off the vine and placing it into the basket.

* * *

Midday approached and the unforgiving sun blared down on all that was below. Sweat dripped from Melrose's brow as the sun toasted her skin, while she continued to pick vegetables along with the others. She wiped her brow, pausing for a moment to see that the others had stopped and had stood up, stretching while Rachel went and fetched them some water.

"Come on, Melrose, take a break with us," Jimmy said, before taking a long swig of the ice-cold water. The glasses had been to sweat in the heat, Melrose stood up and strolled over to them, taking one of the glasses for herself.

"Thanks..."She said, smiling faintly, "you sure it's okay? I can go get some myself, I don't want to be wasting your points."

"Don't worry about it."Peter said, patting her on the shoulder, "you put as much work in as we have, you deserve it."He smiled.

"Well thanks," Melrose replied, returning the polite grin before taking a long sip. The cold water instantly quenched her thirst. She looked about seeing these people smiling and laughing, the corners of her lips curled up into a smile; they reminded her of her own family, a group of strangers who over time had become a family, brought together by the need to survive. She lowered her gaze before taking another sip, attempting to wash away the bittersweet taste that had began to numb her tongue, when suddenly that ominous whistle filled the air, silencing everyone.

Melrose's eyes darted over towards the group who had gone down to their knees in a bowing position as the whistling continued; she swallowed hard, as she looked over to see Negan strolling towards them, with his barb-wired baseball pat perched over his shoulder, a grim expression shadowed his face, as his grip on Lucille's handle tightened. She hardened her eyes at him, as irritation began to rise within her, still angry about his little tantrum the night before.

"Good morning, Negan," Melrose said, unemotionally through gritted teeth.

He returned her pissed off expression, his dark eyes darted over to his workers who remained kneeling, with bowed heads. "What the hell's going on here?"

"I was just helping out, there's no way I'm going to be sitting on my ass all day and since I'm here, I thought I could lend a hand—"

"That's not gonna fly, babydoll. No wife of mine is gonna be out here working."Negan said, harshly.

Melrose rolled her eyes, "Then what do you expect me to do all day?"

His glistened with a dark desire as his lips curled up into that crooked grin, " _ **Ooooh**_ , there's plenty we can do—"

"No way, asshole."Melrose snapped, "Look, I'm used to doing this kind of stuff, I'm not too good to get my hands dirty."

"It doesn't work this way, Melrose, you don't even have to earn points, I provide for you!"

"That's why I told them what points I would earn if I did, they can divide between themselves—"

"NO!"Negan growled, "They know the rules!"

"Hey! Don't take it out on them, it was my idea!"Melrose shouted, "Look, can't you just do it this once?"

"No. In fact, I should just wipe all their points away for this!"

"No..N-Negan...please..."The group erupted into saddening and desperate pleas.

"That's not fair! You can't do this!"Melrose barked,

"Oh yes, I can, babydoll. They know the rules!"

"Stop it! Don't punish them, it was all my idea, okay? Please, Negan, don't do this to them."Melrose begged.

Negan narrowed his eyes before squeezing them shut and sighed, "Fine."He snapped.

The group of workers began praising him with gratitude which caused Mel's stomach to churn. "Look, if you want something to do so damn bad, then I'll find you something to do, come on."He said, curtly before turning on his heels.

Melrose turned towards the workers, her brow furrowing as she watched them slowly rise to their feet, "I-I'm sorry."She said, softly before trotting away to catch up with Negan.

* * *

The walk was long and awkward, the tension was clearly thick between them. Melrose noticed the hallway they were now walking down was where Dr. Carson's office was found, "Um...so what exactly are you going to have me do?"She asked,

"I thought ol' Dr. Carson could use a hand with some things."Negan replied.

"Uh, I don't really have that much medical experience, other than some basic things," Melrose informed.

"Well, he's got files on everyone here in the Sanctuary, maybe you can help out organizing them."

"Really? So be a secretary?"

"You got a problem with that? I thought you wanted to help out."Negan snapped,

Melrose sighed, "Whatever, it's fine."

She turned her back to him and was just about to open the door, "Melrose, wait."Negan said,

"What is it?"Melrose asked, snarkily as she turned around, folding her arms across her chest.

"I...did you get my note?"He asked, lowering his eyes as if he were a shy little boy.

Melrose scoffed, "Yeah, and? What, a piece of paper is just supposed to make everything okay?"She snapped.

Negan narrowed his eyes down at her, his lips forming a scowl, "Look, I-I'm trying, darlin'—"

"Trying to what? Become even more of a dick?"

Negan released, a frustrated growl under his breath, "Dammit, Melrose...I just..."He paused, brushing a hand through his dark hair, as he sighed, "look, I-I'm sorry, okay?"

Melrose was taken aback by his genuine tone and the sorrow which seemed to glisten in his dark eyes. She sighed, "Look, just forget it, alright?"She said, softly.

"Just listen, I know, I acted like a complete ass last night—"

"That's a fucking understatement," Melrose grumbled. Negan narrowed his eyes at her, an almost wounded expression washed across his face; her lips formed a purse line, "S-Sorry, continue."

"I'd like to make it up to you, babydoll," Negan said, closing the distance between them, "with dinner tonight."

Melrose stared up at him, arching a brow, "Do I have a choice this time?"She questioned, with a smirk.

Negan scoffed, his lips curling up into a smug grin, "Yeah, you don't have to come if you don't want to, darlin'."

"Okay, sure, I'll come."She replied, with a shrug of her shoulders. It was time to swallow her pride, swallow the hatred, she had to gain his trust, and moments like these was how she could.

Negan grinned, "Alright, good, I'll have something extra special served for us tonight."

"Sounds good."She smiled, batting her eyelashes at him. " _ **Welll**_ , I guess I better see how serious these files are."

"They can wait," Negan said, towering over her, practically pressing her against the door. Melrose looked up at him from underneath her long, dark lashes to see that his dark eyes glistened with that sexual hunger. He raised a hand and cupped her face, leaning down and into her, with his face inches away from hers. She felt his warm breath against her lips which slowly parted, waiting for his lips to press against hers. That aching, longing desire began to grow within her, and once again, she hated it.

Melrose brushed her fingertips against his shirt, her hands continued upward, moving against his strong, linking her wrists behind his neck. There was no longer any space between them, Negan looked over her face with hooded eyes before his lips crashed against hers. Instantly, she lost herself in his kiss, her fingertips gripped the hair at the nape of his neck, their tongues swirled together in an urgent, clumsy, dance. He pressed against her body, causing her back to meet with the closed door behind her; she heard Lucille clatter onto the floor, as Negan's hands slid down to her waist, his fingertips grasped the flesh on her hips, tightly. She could feel him hardening through his jeans, which caused that aching need within her to grow, she felt his fingertips brushing against the zipper of her jean shorts, and he slowly began to unzip it, when she quickly grabbed a hold of his wrist. The kiss ended then, leaving both of them panting, trying to recapture their breath. Melrose glanced up at him from underneath her lashes, her face glowing red for she knew that her eyes mirrored his, glazed over with lust. "N-No...not...not here."She said, breathlessly.

Negan gently pressed his forehead against hers, "Okay."He said, in a hushed voice, "You do know, that I won't force you, babydoll."

"Yeah...right," Melrose mumbled, under her breath, as she lowered her eyes.

He bent down and picked up the barb-wired bat, he flashed her one of his famous grins, before turning on his heels and began walking away. Melrose sighed, trying to shake that feeling away, she turned towards the door and opened it,

"Oh Melrose, hello, is everything alright?"Doctor Carson asked as she walked further into the room, closing the door behind her.

"Um yeah, everything's fine," Mel replied, with a faint grin,

"Good, good...please, don't think I'm being rude, Melrose, but may I ask why you are here?"He asked, nervously.

"Well, since I'm stuck here, I thought I could help out, and Negan suggested that I help you with managing some files...?"

"Oh, well, I could use some assistance with that...since it's just me, I have to admit I've gotten pretty messy in organizing things. This way."Doctor Carson said, with a slight grin.

Melrose followed him towards a door which was in the back of the room, she hadn't noticed it from her past visits to see the doctor. Doctor Carson opened the door, it was a small room, which Melrose assumed used to be a janitor's closet, there was a small desk positioned in the middle of the room, and one of those large wheeled, plush, faux leathered chairs, right beside the desk facing towards inward towards the chair were two tall and large metal filing cabinets. Papers and manilla folders were scattered across the desktop. He cleared his throat, "Please excuse the mess."Doctor Carson stated,

"No problem, that's what I'm here to help with."

He smiled faintly, "So you'll find some files here, the rest are in the cabinets, messily, I must admit. You might have to relog some."

She nodded as she wandered around towards the other side of the desk, she opened one of the drawers and brushed her fingertips against the tabs, " _ **Sooooo**_ , you really have files on everyone here?"

"Yes, if they've ever come to see me, that is."

 _So not everyone is here...,_ She thought, "What about Negan?"

Doctor Carson's lips formed a purse line, "Melrose, whatever it is you are thinking—"

"I'm not thinking anything, I'm just anything, I mean he's had to have caught a cold at some point, right?"

"He does have a file, but,—"

 _Of course, there's a but...,_ She sighed,

"it's not kept here."

"Wow, he really has some trust issues, huh? Well, anyway, don't worry I'll get these sorted for you."Melrose said, quickly changing the subject.

"Thank you. If you need anything I'll be right outside, I have some patients coming."He said, before exiting the room, closing the door behind him.

"Fuck."Melrose huffed, slamming the drawer shut before she plopped down into the chair, causing it to roll away from the desk. She was hoping that Negan's personal folder would be here so she could find out more about him. His last name, his birth date, or even his fucking blood type, just anything. But of course, he was one step ahead. "Dammit."She cursed, pouting. She sighed before plopping down into the chair, causing the chair to roll back towards the desk. Mel opened the first drawer and began to pull the folders out, one by one, until the drawer was emptied on to the desk. She began to thumb through the folders and began to reorganize, or place papers into the proper folders where they belonged. Minutes crept by until the minutes turned to hours, Melrose leaned in the chair, stretching, before rubbing her eyes, there were numerous times while reading through the papers that her eyelids grew heavy with sleep. She placed the last folder into the drawer and slid it shut, "I cannot believe I finished all these...Jesus Christ..."She grumbled, underneath her breath, just as the door creaked open.

Doctor Carson slipped inside carrying a mug, streams of hot vaper rose above the cup-like mist hovering along bodies of water. "I thought you'd like a refreshment while you worked, sorry for not checking on you earlier, I got a little busy with seeing patients."

"Thanks," She said, "and it's alright, I actually just finished anyway."

"Really? With all of them?"

"Yep,"Mel replied, before taking a sip of the coffee,

"That's quite impressive, anyone else would have stopped and finished the rest in the upcoming days."

"Yeah, well, after I got a little system going, it went relatively quick."

"Well thank you, Melrose, for organizing all this."

"No problem, thanks for the coffee."She said, taking another long sip, leaving the mug half drained, "I guess I'll be going, bye Doctor Carson."

"Bye Melrose, thank you again."

As Melrose stepped out into the hall, she noticed a large man leering at her from around the corner. "I'll be sure to return your coffee mug."She replied, her eyes shifting back to the doctor.

"Oh, I'm in no rush, Melrose."He said, with a soft chuckle,

"Thanks again."She said. The doctor smiled and nodded his head before he closed the door, Melrose turned on her heels and began strolling down the hallway, out of the corner of her eye, she could see the guy following behind her. She gritted her teeth, her grasp on the coffee mug tightened, _Okay...I guess we're playing this game.,_ She thought. Melrose quickened her pace, she reached the end of the hallway and opened the door which led to the winding stairwell. She could hear the guy's loud and lumbering footsteps following behind her, she began to ascend the stairs and had reached the second set of stairs once she heard him enter the corridor. She smirked, taking her time walking up the stairs as she heard the man wheeze and gasp for breath in order to keep up with her. She reached the level where her room, along with Negan's and his wives rooms were located and slipped into the hallway. She turned down a corner, disappearing from sight, waiting for her stalker to enter the hall. She placed the coffee mug down onto the floor, just as the door opened and the man stepped into the hallway, gasping and wheezing for breath; he looked this way and that, trying to find Melrose. She slunk closer and by the time he turned his head to acknowledge her, she rammed her elbow into his nose, the man yelled stumbling backward, his large hands cupped over his nose, red oozed in-between his plump fingers. "Aww, owww!"He groaned, his eyes watering.

Melrose narrowed her eyes at him, "Alright, what's the deal, bub? Why are you following me?"

"I-I'm sorry...I didn't mean any harm I was just..."

"Just what?"

"Just...following orders."

Melrose arched an eyebrow at him, when realization quickly struck her, "Negan."She grumbled, underneath her breath, her lips forming a pout. She looked back up at the guy, blood still dripped from his busted nose, a twinge of pity pricked her. He looked harmless, he was a large man, a few inches taller than her and he appeared to be a few years older. He had tan skin and dark hair which was a mess of curls atop of his head; he wore a dirtied plaid blue shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, a gray undershirt, faded jeans and boots. "Sorry, for your nose. Hang on, I'll get something to clean you up...better yet, it'll be easier if you come with me."She said, turning on her heels strolling towards her room.

"...I don't know if this is okay..."

"It's fine, um what's your name?"

"Fat Joey."

Melrose stopped and turned towards him, "I'm sorry, what? That... that can't be your actual name, right?"

"Well no, but there's another Joey that's a Savior and well to make things easier everyone calls me "Fat Joey", Negan gave me that nickname."

Melrose rolled her eyes, "Yeah, I'm not calling you that."She said, opening the door to her room. "I'm Melrose, by the way."She replied, extending a hand towards him.

His lips tugged up into a faint smile as he shook her hand, "I know who you are, everyone here knows who you are..."

"Look, I know that, alright, but at least now we've properly been introduced."She said, in a snarky tone. Melrose strolled over to the nightstand and pulled out a white handkerchief, she had brought back (along with her clothes) little things like that so that she was prepared for situations such as this. "It's not much, but it'll stop the bleeding," Mel said, handing Joey the handkerchief.

"Thanks."

"So, care to tell me why Negan gave you those orders?"She asked,

"Oh...umm well, there's no real reason, he has all of his wives looked after, just in case anything happens."

Melrose narrowed her eyes, "Oh really."She hissed, "well, I think I'll go have a chat with my _**dear**_ husband—"

"You can't!"

"And why not?"

"H-He's in the middle of a meeting with his top guys...he doesn't like being interrupted."

Melrose scoffed, "Do I look like I give a shit? I'm going to go talk to him." She snapped, before storming out of her room.

"Melrose, wait!"Joey yelled, rushing out of the room after her.

She ignored him as she trudged down the hallway, her narrowed eyes focused on Negan's door at the end of the hall. _Fucking bastard.,_ She thought, angrily. She forced open the door,

"And how are we going to fix this, Simon—"Negan's voice trailed off as he, along with his men all turned towards her,

Negan narrowed his eyes at her, his jaw clenched in irritation as he watched her walk towards him, the expression on her face mirrored his own. "Can I help you, _**dear**_ wife?" Her nostrils flared in anger as she glared at him, Negan rubbed his stubbled chin, his jaw clenching tighter as she stayed silent, "I'm rather busy at the moment, darlin'—"

"Cut the shit Negan!"Mel snapped, Negan glowered up at her. Joey finally caught up and raced into the room, grasping a hold of the door frame for support as he tried to catch his breath, "I-I'm sorry, Negan...I tried to stop her..."

"***-Dammit, Fat Joey," Negan growled, under his breath,

"Look, I don't need a ***-Damn babysitter, and if you're going to get someone to follow me, how about picking someone less noticeable." Melrose retorted, "No offense, Joey."

"None taken,"

"I asked to help out, so let me fucking do it."She snapped,

"I gave you something to do."Negan snarled.

"And it's done. Let me do something that's actually going to matter."

Negan arched brow up at her, he huffed a sigh as he rose from his seat, towering over her, Melrose cut her eyes up at him. "Alright, fine, you want to help out so damn bad, I got the perfect thing for ya, babydoll. Know how to use a gun?"

"Are you seriously asking me that?"She asked, folding her arms across her chest.

"Just answer the damn question."He snapped.

"Yes, jackass."

"How good are you at firing?"

"I hit my target."

"Good, good, come with me."He said, " Gentlemen, I'll be back momentarily, come on darlin'," He said, turning on his heels and sauntering towards the door, Melrose followed behind him.

She chewed her lip anxiously as she trailed behind him down the hall, she knew from Joey that she had interrupted an important meeting, a meeting that involved Negan's "top guns". She had noticed Simon, Negan's second in command, there was about twenty altogether, men and women, that she had never seen; she had quickly spotted Dwight and Arat who scowled at her the entire time. She wondered what they spoke about, did it have anything to do with Alexandria? Mel wanted to ask but she knew if she did, it would be obvious what it was she was doing and ruin her entire plan. She'd have to figure out some other way. "So, you gonna tell me what I'm doing?"She asked, breaking the insufferable silence.

"Well, since you're itchin' so bad to assist us here at the Sanctuary, I figured you could whip my newbies into shape."Negan replied.

"Newbies?"She repeated, arching a brow.

"I keep forgetting that you aren't familiar with how things work here, look babydoll, not everyone starts out as a Savior, you start at the bottom and work your way up, if ya want to, of course. Some just want to work and others want more than that. So my new recruits are workers who have never gone out and dealt with the shit out there in the big bad world, **_soooo_** —"

"You want me to show them how to shoot."

"Bingo."

"You sure these guys can handle it...going out there and dealing with those..."Melrose paused, gulping, "Walkers, it's not for everyone."She said, remembering the first time that she had killed one, back then they still looked like people, now...now, they were decayed corpses that resembled staggering skeletons, flesh ripped away, revealing their mushed and blackened insides.

"And that's what these little tests are for, darlin', you have 'em for a few weeks and tell me who's good and who ain't."Negan said, he stopped and turned towards her slightly, wrapping an arm around her shoulders and pulling her to his side, "I trust you with this, babydoll."He said.

Melrose cut her eyes up at him as he dragged her with him, "I'll do my best."She replied, flashing him a flirtatious smile.

Negan glanced down at her and smirked, "I know you will, Melrose, darlin'."

* * *

Negan led Melrose outside of the Sanctuary, she followed him around the building and to the back-gated area where she noticed a large garage-like shed, which was chained shut; rows of large moving trucks, trucks, vans, and motorcycles and other vehicles, were parked before the shed. It looked like a car lot due to all the rows of cars that the Saviors "owned". As they walked past the row of motorcycles, Melrose couldn't help but notice Daryl's bike. Her mouth ran dry as she swallowed hard, _Daryl...,_ She thought, grimly, wondering how he was, she had yet to even catch a glimpse of him.

She lowered her gaze, focusing on the crunching gravel beneath her boots, as she chewed her bottom lip anxiously.

"Hey, you okay, babydoll?"Negan asked, his dark eyes cutting over to her,

Mel shook the thought and worry for Daryl away, "Yeah, I'm fine."She reassured.

"Good."He smirked, with a nod.

Melrose glanced up to see that they were approaching what appeared to be a makeshift firing range, there was a group of men and women, about twenty altogether, standing before the tables that had been set up, with a gun for each of them lined neatly onto the table. As soon as they caught a glimpse of them approaching, they went down to one knee, which caused Negan to smirk smugly.

They stopped before the kneeling group, Negan's smirk widened before he sighed in an exaggerated manner. "Alrighty then, so you lot want to be Saviors, I'm glad, we could always use some extra hands out there, but...before you go out there before you become one of us, there's some things you got to learn. The world out there, it ain't pretty, and I got to make sure you sorry shits aren't gonna drag my guys down. **Sooooo** , first things first, you're gonna learn how to fire these babies, properly."He said, his voice dripping with authority and seriousness. "This is Melrose,"He continued, as he roughly wrapped an arm around her and pulling her to his side, "as you know, she is my new wife," He narrowed his eyes at the men in the group, "she's gonna teach you how to use these and she'll be the one telling me if you're Savior material or if you'll be going back to work to earn points. Understood?"Negan barked.

"Yes, Negan."

The way that they all answered in unison caused a chill to slither down Melrose's spine.

"Good,"Negan smirked,

"Wait, what about ammunition?"Melrose asked, looking up at him.

"What about it?"Negan retorted,

"If we're gonna be practicing firing then aren't we going to be taking from your supply for—"

"Don't you worry about that, babydoll, we've got plenty to spare."Negan replied, flashing that sly crooked grin.

Melrose swallowed hard, her blood ran cold within her veins, _How much fucking ammunition do they have if they can spare for_ _ **this**_ _?_ She thought, fearfully.

"Anyway, they're all yours, babydoll."

"Um...thanks?"She muttered. Abruptly, Negan roughly gripped her chin, forcing her to face him, her brow furrowed as she met his gaze when he pressed lips against hers, his free hand grasped her waist in a possessive manner pulling her body against his. She glared up at him as the kiss ended which caused his smirk to widen, she glanced over to the group of people and realized he did that to show the men in the group that she belonged to _**him**_. "Fucking prick."She spat, at him folding her arms across her chest, which caused Negan to chuckle,

"Teach 'em good, babydoll."Negan said, before turning on his heels and walking away.

As he disappeared, the group slowly rose to their feet, glancing up at Melrose nervously. She smiled faintly at them, as she stepped forward towards the table, she picked up one of the guns, "So um...let's begin."Mel said.

* * *

The evening was closing in, turning the sky from orange, peach, and yellow to the midnight blues and purples of night, stars were beginning to pop out and sparkle in the sky. Melrose was in her room, going through her closet, trying to pick something to wear for dinner with Negan. The wives had let her freshen up in their bathroom, and now she stood before the mirror, just wearing a bra and panties as she dug through the closet. Her damp hair was pulled up into a messy bun, for now, training the "newbies" went rather well, she had shown them a few pointers and they had shown some potential, but it was only the first day.

She pulled out a dark green sleeveless dress, the material was a made of velvet that was soft to the touch. Melrose removed it from the hanger and slipped into the dress, it stopped just above the knee. She let her hair down and grabbed her brush, styling it in a half up, half down fashion. Tammy had given her a tube of unused mascara, which she now opened and placed a few layers onto her lashes which seemed to make them even longer. She sighed, lowering her gaze from her reflection in the full-length mirror, _Survive Mel, that's what you have to focus on, survive, gain his trust...and kill him.,_ She told herself.

Melrose grabbed a pair of nude wedged heels that Olivia had given her and slipped them on to her feet, she wasn't particular about the shoes, for she was going to remove them once she was inside his room. She untangled her necklace and fastened it around her neck; Mel looked at her reflection once more. The dress was a bodycon style and hugged each curve sensually, it had a sweetheart neckline which was rather modest compared to the other dresses she had been forced to wear. She had to admit that the dark green shade looked beautiful against her milky olive-hued skin. Melrose brushed out the wrinkles of the dress before she left her room. As she walked down the dimly lit hallway, she tried to snuff out that side of her that was attracted to the danger of Negan, to his darkness.

Melrose stopped before his door, she contemplated on just walking in, but decided against it. She knocked on the door, from within the room she heard shuffling and then the clomping of Negan's booted feet across the floor; with every footstep, her heart thumped in perfect unison. Her mouth ran dry as the door opened,

"Well _**helllllloooo**_ , Melrosey."Negan said that crooked grin spread across his face as his dark eyes looked her up and down.

"Um...hi, Negan," Melrose replied. sheepishly, quicking adverting her gaze, as her cheeks glowed a rosy color.

Negan was leaned against the door frame, his arms folded across his chest as his eyes continued to devour her. She glanced up at him from underneath her long, extended lashes, and noticed that he wasn't wearing his leather jacket; he was wearing a white, V neck t-shirt, the sleeves were tight around his large arms, a pair of well-worn jeans and his notorious boots. She could tell that he had showered not long ago, his dark hair appeared damp and he smelled like he bathed in a strong cologne. _Stop it.,_ Melrose warned herself, lowering her gaze once again, her blush deepening.

"Come on in, darlin'," Negan replied, ungluing himself from the door frame, allowing her to enter the room, "I'm afraid that we'll have to wait a bit on eating, dinner hasn't been delivered yet."

Melrose cut her eyes over at him, arching a brow, "Oh, you mean you didn't cook? What a shame."She said, in a teasing manner as she walked into the kitchen with Negan close behind her. She paused, once she saw the two lit candles in the center of the table that was set for two. Mel turned towards him, "Candles, really?"She scoffed.

"Yeah, I wanted tonight to be nice."Negan stated, with a shrug of his shoulders as he walked past her. Melrose took a seat as Negan picked up the wine glasses from the table and carried them to the counter where a bottle of wine was waiting. She watched as he poured the red wine into the glasses, a shadow of sorrow covered his face; a grim silence invaded the room but it was short lived. "I never did this stuff for my Lucille, it's not a secret that I'm an asshole...she deserved better than me and when I finally started to clean up my act and do right by her...well, it was too late."Negan said, in a low tone which dripped with melancholy. He turned towards her and approached the table, offering her the glass, a flicker of sadness and a glimmer of unshed tears flashed within his dark eyes.

Melrose took the glass, a twinge of pity pricked her heart, her brow furrowed the longer hse looked at him. She took a sip of the wine, her gaze now downcast, "Well, I think it's sweet."She replied, trying to lighten the mood, "Jase...he used to do this kind of stuff..."Melrose stopped herself, as sadness now began to affect her, her eyes mirrored Negan's sad orbs. "I-I'm sorry...I shouldn't—"

"It's alright, babydoll."He said,

She took another sip before sitting the glass down, clinking her fingernails against the glass; she hated referring to Jase as if he were dead. Melrose chewed the inside of her cheek before, glancing up at Negan as he sat down in the chair seat across from her.

"So how did it go with the newbies?"

"It was alright, I mean this is the first day and I basically just showed them some minor things."

"Did you have any problems with 'em? They give you a hard time?"

"No, everyone was fine," Mel replied. They had seemed nice but she could tell that they were afraid, and so they kept their distance.

"Good."Negan said, before taking a long sig of wine from his cup. Suddenly there was a knock at the door, "That must be Susan and Dougie with the food, I'll be right back."He replied, before rising from his seat and walking out of the kitchen.

Melrose was left alone for a moment, she sighed, propping her chin into her hand while she waited. _Stop feeling bad for him.,_ She snapped at herself but a part of her couldn't help it; before the world had gone to shit, he was just a regular man. And after all, everyone and everything had changed after the outbreak. _Even you have changed.,_ A voice within her reminded her. She had become thick sinned, bitter, a killer, and a survivor. She was so wrapped up in her thoughts that she didn't hear them until they had entered the kitchen.

"Thank you for the help, Mr. Negan...oh, hello there, you must be the new wife."The auburn haired woman said, strolling towards the counter carrying a platter which was covered. Melrose glanced up at the woman, who appeared to be in her forties, she had a kind face, she turned towards her and smiled. "Hi, I'm Susan."

Melrose smiled faintly, "Um hi, nice to meet you."She replied,

"Melrose!"Dougie exclaimed,

"Hi Dougie."Mel grinned, waving at him.

"This is my mommy...she taught me how to make all the yummy food."

"That's really nice, I'm sure you do a wonderful job."

"He does, my little chef."Susan smiled.

Melrose sat quietly, watching as Negan helped Susan and Dougie with the covered trays which contained their dinner. The aroma was intoxicating and caused her stomach to growl, Susan uncovered the first dish which appeared to be steamed broccoli, the next was roasted potatoes which smelled of garlic. The main entree was grilled chicken breasts, one apiece, there was still a tray which was stilled covered, Melrose wondered what was underneath when Susan turned towards her, pausing in fixing their plates. "I hope you enjoyed the meal last night, Melrose."She asked,

"Um...yeah, it was really good."She fibbed quickly, which caused Negan to smirk.

"And what did you think of the cake?"

 _Cake?_ She thought, her stomach groaning, she couldn't remember the last time she ever tasted such a heavenly thing. Melrose narrowed her eyes at Negan who's smirk widened as he slightly shrugged his shoulders at her before taking a sip of his wine.

Mel pouted, "It was great, Susan, I haven't had something so good in a long time."She said, forcing a smile, kicking Negan under the table which caused him to almost spill his glass. His face scrunched up as he winced silently, he glared up at Melrose who smiled at him sweetly; he closed his eyes and shook his head, scoffing to himself as Susan continued,

"Glad to hear it."She grinned.

"I-I-I helped with the cake, Melrose!"Dougie exclaimed, proudly.

"That's great, Dougie, it was really good."Melrose smiled, swallowing the lie.

"Well, we should get out of your hair so you can enjoy your dinner," Susan said, standing beside her son, placing an arm around Dougie, Melrose couldn't help but noticed the fear in the woman's eyes. She pitied them.

"Thanks, Susan. And you too Dougie."Negan said, before rising from his seat, turning towards the counter where Susan had left their readied plates.

"You're welcome, Negan, sir. Enjoy."Susan said, her words coming out in a rushed jumble before she and Dougie quickly exited the room.

Melrose narrowed her eyes up at Negan as he turned back around with their plates, "What?"He asked, arching a brow at her.

"Fucking cake?! Are you serious? You didn't say there'd be cake last night."Mel snapped, as he sat her plate down in front of her.

Negan smirk, laughing heartily, which caused her to pout, "Well, you didn't fucking ask, now did ya, babydoll?"

"Dick," Mel grumbled, folding her arms across her chest.

His smirk widened, "Look, if it makes ya feel any better, I saved your piece, you can have it now if ya want."Negan said.

"Oh my, dessert before dinner? Isn't that against the rules?"Melrose teased, flashing him a cheeky grin.

He scoffed, "Fucking smart mouth."

"I think I'll be a good girl and wait."She said her grin widening. Melrose cut into the chicken and began to eat, "Sooo, you told me that you saved Dougie."She said, in a curt tone.

"Yeah and?"

"You made it sound as if he were by himself on the road somewhere, you never mentioned his mother."Melrose snapped,

"So?"Negan retorted, his mouth full of food, "I did save him _**annnnnd**_ his mother. There, end of story."

She lowered her gaze and swallowed hard, _What are you doing? Stop trying to piss him off._ The voice inside her hissed. Melrose took a sip of her wine as an awkward silence invaded the kitchen, "So, what were you studying in college?"Negan abruptly asked.

Melrose's eyes cut up at him, she was shocked that he even remembered that conversation, "Umm, I was taking some creative writing courses, I uh wanted to become an author."She replied, shyly, "I know...it sounds dumb."

"No it doesn't, hell, I think that's pretty impressive, you must've been good enough to get sent abroad."Negan said, proudly, "That why you fond of books?"

Melrose smiled faintly, "Yeah, I've always loved reading, especially now, you can disappear into another world and forget about this shit hole for a while..."She said, softly.

Negan's lips curled up into a crooked grin, "I hope you aren't referring to our wonderful accommodations here at the Sanctuary."He replied, snarkily.

Melrose scoffed, her faint smile broadened, "No, the world in general."She stated, "So, did you have any other jobs besides tormenting children with your coaching?"

Negan smirked, "Oh I had plenty of jobs back in that life, but while I was coaching, I was also selling cars."

Melrose snorted, almost choking on her wine as she laughed, "Seriously? You were a car's salesman?"

"Yeah, why the hell is that so funny?"He asked, a grin on his face arching a brow.

Melrose scoffed, "And how exactly did that go? ' _ **Buy this car or I'll fucking smash your skull in!**_ '"She said, attempting to do an impression of him,

Negan chuckled, "Look darlin', that was long before this life, and by the way, your shit at impressions."

Melrose flipped him off, "I suppose I can see you doing that, there are times when you can be...charming."She replied, immediately regretting saying it when his lips curled up into that shit eating grin.

"Charming, am I? Damn babydoll, are you finally getting a soft spot for me?"

She smirked at him, "Don't let it go to your head, it was a slip of the tongue."Mel said, which caused him to laugh.

* * *

After dinner and the two desserts, which Melrose absolutely enjoyed, they retired to the sitting area for more drinks; once there, she removed her heels which had began to rub her ankles. Negan had refilled her glass with some more wine as they chatted about their lives before the outbreak, there was a brief moment of silence and Negan rose from the couch, wandering across the room towards a small, gray, entertainment near the two large windows that overlooked the courtyard. She watched as he knelt down before rising to a standing position, he placed something down, there was a low hissing noise and then a pop, until the music began to play.

 _ **"The boat rides we would take**_

 _ **The moonlight on the lake**_

 _ **The way we danced and hummed our favorite song**_

 _ **The things we did last summer**_

 _ **I'll remember all winter long**_

 _ **The midway and the fun**_

 _ **The kewpie doll we won**_

 _ **The bell I rang to prove that I was strong**_

 _ **The things we did last summer"**_

Negan turned on his heels, a grin spread across his face as he began to dance, acting as if he had an invisible partner."What the hell are you doing?"She laughed, before humming along. She recognized the song as "The Things We Did Last Summer" this version was sung by Dean Martin.

"What's it look like, babydoll, I'm dancing."He said, flashing a cheeky smile, "Come on, dance with me."

Melrose's lips curled up into a smirk as she arched a brow at Negan who continued to sway to the music. "Seriously?"She scoffed.

Negan smirked, "Come on now, babydoll, ya really gonna leave me hanging here?"

"Well, it is pretty entertaining seeing you make an ass of yourself."Mel said, with a laugh before taking a sip of wine.

He chuckled, "Aww, come on, Melrose."

She laughed heartily, as a genuine smile formed on her lips. She didn't know if it was all the wine or what, but she was actually enjoying this evening with him. Melrose stood up from the couch, placing her glass onto the coffee table, "Alright, fine, you've convinced me."Mel said, sauntering over to him.

"Was it my fine dancin' skills?"Negan grinned, as Melrose stepped closer, placing a hand onto his shoulder, while the other Negan gently held, his other grasped her waist pressing her against him.

She smirked up at him as they began to sway to the music, "I wouldn't say that," She snorted, as Dean Martin continued to croon along with the music as they slow danced in the middle of the room. "I didn't peg you to be one to like this kind of music."Mel said, glancing up at him.

Negan smirked, "I like a variety of things, I'm surprised you even know who this is."He said, arching a brow down at her.

"Same as you, I never really cared for modern music, I mean I liked a few songs but I really like the 80s and 70s groups and even the ol' rat pack. I like older things."Melrose confessed. She quickly lowered her gaze once she saw that shit eating grin spread from ear to ear,

" _ **Ooooh**_ , so you must like me then. So you are getting a soft spot for me."

"That's not what I meant."She pouted, her cheeks reddening.

He chuckled as the music ended, there was a crackle and the next song began, "Ya now I got a pretty good collection of vinyls, stuff you'd really enjoy since you like those kind of things."

"Oh?"Melrose said, "And why didn't you show me before?"She asked, her lips curling up slightly,

"You never asked."

She looked up at him, swallowing hard, as she lowered her gaze, "Look...I-I wasn't...used to this...being here with you..hell, I'm still trying to get used to it...I mean, after everything's that's happened—"

"You don't have to explain yourself, babydoll."He said,

"So you understand that...that it's going to take some time for me to..."

"Yeah, I get it."

Melrose lowered her eyes, her lips twitched up slightly, _He's eating it right up.,_ She thought. " _ **Sooo**_ , can I see your collection?"Mel asked, quickly changing the subject, trying to keep the mood light.

His lips curled up into that smug ass smirk, "Sure babydoll,"Negan said, as they stopped dancing, "the records are over there, I'll go get us something else to drink."He said. He collected their glasses from the table and disappeared into the kitchen.

Melrose wandered towards the entertainment system where the record player was perched, beneath it on a lower shelf she spotted two boxes full of vinyls placed neatly in rows. She bent down and picked up the boxes, one on each side, and carried them to the couch. She placed the boxes down and then took a seat, she began pulling them out, one by one, admiring the cover art; she smiled faintly whenever she came across a band she was recognized, bringing back memories from life before this.

"Found some you like?"Negan's voice pulled her from her thoughts.

She looked over at him as he neared the couch, carrying their glasses which were now filled with what appeared to be scotch. Melrose arched a brow up at him, "Oh, so you've been hiding the good stuff, huh?"She teased, taking the glass he held out to her.

He smirked, "I can show you where I hide it if ya want."

"I might have to take you up on that offer."She said, grinning devilishly, before taking a long drink.

The rest of the night consisted of switching records out, dancing, drinking, and laughing. Negan smiled as he retrieved a record from the box, "Oh this is a good one, Lucille used to love this song."He said, staggering over to the record player. The music stopped as Negan swiftly switched the records, he placed the needle carefully down, there was a long hissing sound as he turned around, walking back towards the couch where she sat, extending a hand, a sorrowful gleam twinkled in his eyes. "Dance with me, Melrose."Negan said, in a gruff, sensual tone, his lips curled up into that crooked grin.

She arched a brow up at him, "The music hasn't even started playing yet."Mel replied in a mocking tone.

"Please?"

She rolled her eyes and sighed, forcing the pity she felt for him away, "Alright, fine."Melrose said, placing her hand in his as she stood up. He pulled her close to him, leaving no space between them as they began to slow dance to the yet playin music. "What song is this supposed to be anyway?"She asked,

"Just listen...it's starting."He replied, softly.

 _ **"(Oh, oh, oh, oh, wah-ah-ah, oh, oh, oh, oh)**_

 _ **Earth angel, earth angel**_

 _ **Will you be mine?**_

 _ **My darling dear**_

 _ **Love you all the time**_

 _ **I'm just a fool**_

 _ **A fool in love with you**_

 _ **Earth angel, earth angel**_

 _ **The one I adore**_

 _ **Love you forever and ever more**_

 _ **I'm just a fool**_

 _ **A fool in love with you..."**_

Her heart instantly sank, her body tensed under his touch, _N-No..._ She thought, her breath hitched in her throat as she abrutply shoved him away, a single tear rolled down her cheek. "No...not this song..."She muttered, her lip trembling. Her heart felt like it was shattering into millions of tiny pieces as her mind took her back to a little cafe, with Jase with this song playing, _Our first date...our song...,_ She thought, as tears continued to fill her eyes.

"What? What's wrong, babydoll?"Negan asked, raising a brow at her.

Melrose met his gaze, her eyes glistened with tears, "This...this was our song...Jase and I..."She said, faintly.

Negan's lips formed a purse line, his brow furrowed, "Shit..I'm sorry, I can turn it off—"

"No, d-don't."She said, grasping a hold of his arm, halting him from walking away, he glanced back at her, "It's...okay."She said, softly, her eyes downcast, releasing him from her grip.

Negan tenderly lifted her chin, causing her to meet his eyes, "You sure?"He asked, in a low gruff voice, his brow furrowing.

"Y-Yes..."Melrose replied, closing the distance between them. She could feel her face turning red as that aching longing began to throb within her. Her eyes were still downcast as she hesistantly placed her hands against his chest, Negan's hands grasped her hips, pulling her against him. Melrose looked up at him from underneath her lashes, slowly snaking her hands upward, she placed her left hand onto his shoulder, while her right hand cupped his face, her fingertips brushing against his stubbled jawline. Their faces were inches apart, Melrose got onto her tiptoes as she pressed her lips against his; he deepened the kiss, their tongues swirled together hungrily. Negan's left hand clutched the small of her back while his right boldly grasped her ass. She gasped into his mouth as the kiss became more urgent, they stumbled backward and tumbled onto the couch, with Negan on top of her, crushing her but not in an uncomfortable manner. They broke apart, panting, their eyes glazed over with lust, Negan began kissing down her neck, lightly nipping at her flesh, Melrose bit her bottom lip, one hand grasping his back while the other tugged his hair. Her skin felt as if it were on fire, pleasure surged through her as that ache deep within her throbbed again; she moaned as he continued to trail kisses down her neck and collarbone, he forced some of the dress away at the top, leaving her shoulders bare and revealing her cleavage, he kissed down her collarbone, down to her chest. Her heart pounded within her, he pressed himself against her and she could feel his hardened length inside his pants; she squeezed her eyes shut as she moaned again, her panties were beginning to cling to her as a wetness began to form. Negan's hands hiked up her dress, his fingers snaked underneath her panties, a jolt surged throughout her as she gasped, jerking upright, shoving him away. "I...I...it's getting late, I should leave."She stammered, nervously, as she straightened her dress.

"Ya know, you could stay here tonight."

"Umm...I'd kind of like to stay in my own room."Melrose said, quickly gathering her shoes. She knew that if she stayed here...what would happened and she wouldn't allow that.

"Alright, babydoll, well the offer stands if you ever change your mind."

"Yeah, thanks."She said, bluntly, rushing towards the door, avoiding his gaze. Melrose paused, letting the door hang open, "Negan..."

"Yeah?"

"Tonight was...nice."She admitted, glancing back at him.

Negan smiled faintly at her as he rose from the couch, "Yeah it was, _**welllll**_ , night Melrosey."

"Night, Negan."

Melrose shut the door and scurried down the hallway that was now painted in moonlight, she brought a trembling hand to her mouth, as unshed tears blurred her vision. _You can't do this...this wasn't how it was supposed to go!_ She shouted at herself, trying to ignore that ache inside her, trying to purge the feelings that were beginning to grow for Negan.


	6. The Date

_**Hello lovely readers, back with another update, I will try to get the next chapter up soon. Again, if updates are slow on this story or my GOT fanfic, I apologize, it's just because I have a lot going on, but please know, I do not plan on giving up on either of these stories~**_

 _ **So anyway, thank you to everyone who has favorited or alerted, and reviewed. It really means a lot and encourages me to keep writing!**_

 _ **Please Review and Enjoy!~**_

* * *

Chapter 6: A Date

The next morning, Melrose awoke and began dressing for the day, trying to forget the way Negan's lips had felt against her skin. Once she had returned to her room and had quickly changed for the night, she laid in bed, biting her bottom lip. She couldn't lie to herself, a part of her wanted to stay with him, to feel him inside her; a creamy pool of wetness began to drip between her legs, causing her panties to cling to her, she had wanted so badly to run her hand in between her legs to rid herself of that feeling, but fought against, rolling over on to her side, until sleep had finally come.

 _Stop_. She scolded herself, her cheeks burning red as she pulled her long dark hair into a high ponytail, a few flyaway hairs hung down, framing her face. It had to be her body's natural way to respond to that, right? It was all the wine and the scotch. It had nothing to do with him...right?

She forced the thoughts away and continued to get ready. Mel was dressed in a white tank top with a baggy green and gray plaid blouse over top, leaving it unbuttoned; the light colored jeans she had picked out were laid out on the bed, leaving her standing in a pair of black lace trimmed panties, at the moment. She continued to tend to her hair when she noticed the door began to open and Negan's smirking reflection appeared in the mirror,

"Mornin' _**dear wife**_."He said, that coprophagous grin widening as his eyes looked her up and down. "***-Damn, look at that _**view**_."He whistled, wolfishly.

Melrose turned to face him, arching a brow at him, "Haven't you ever heard of knocking?"She said, curtly.

"Well hell, darlin', I didn't know you'd be standing around in them skimpy little things."Negan replied, crossing the room,

"Hence why you should've knocked, jackass."She said, grinning cheekily.

He smirked, placing a hand on to her waist, pulling her against him, " _ **Sooooo,**_ about last night."

"What about it?"

"Well, I just can't help but wonder if you were laying in bed last night, tossin' and turnin', moanin' my name has you felt how drippin' wet you were."Negan said, in a low, sensual voice.

Melrose's cheeks reddened, she cut her eyes up at him, narrowing them a bit, she scoffed as she removed her hand from her waist. "No."She said, bluntly turning her back to him as she snatched up the jeans from the bed.

Negan chuckled darkly, "You can lie to yourself all ya want, babydoll, but you know you want me."

Melrose pulled the jeans on, refusing to meet his gaze, as she buttoned them. "So why are you here anyway?"She asked, brushing past him to retrieve her boots and a pair of socks.

"I wanted to see if you wanted to come along with me on a run, just you and me."

She cut her eyes up at him as she laced up her boots, "Just you and me, huh? And where exactly are we going on this _**date**_?"She asked, arching a brow.

"It's a bit of a drive, but some of my guys found some shops, might have some good stuff stashed away...and I thought you'd like to get away for awhile."

"Scavenging and taking out Walkers, hm, you really know how to charm a girl. Sure, I'll tag along."Melrose said, flashing him a smirk.

"Good."He said, returning her expression.

Melrose closed the distance between them, brushing her fingertips against his forearm, "You don't do these sort of things for your other wives, so what makes me so special, mhm?"She asked, looking up at him from under her long lashes,

"As you said before, darlin', you aren't like them."Negan replied, his lips curling up into that rugged, crooked grin, his eyes twinkling with a dark, wanting need.

Melrose shook her head, smirking, "You're an ass."

"And you love it."Negan grinned down at her.

Her body stiffened, as she lowered her gaze, chewing her bottom lip. Was she that easy to read? "And what about training your newbies?"

"Don't worry about that babydoll, you've got the day off, Dwight's gonna cover for ya."He replied,

She arched a brow at him, folding her arms across her chest, "And what if I had said no?"Mel asked,

Negan smirked crookedly, mirroring her expression, "Well, we both know how charming I can be, you said so yourself, baby doll."He said, her own words, used against her.

She swallowed hard, glancing down at the floor, _Damn him.,_ She thought.

"Let's head on out, so we can make good time."He said, before turning on his heels, sauntering out of the room, lifting Lucille onto his shoulder.

* * *

Melrose followed beside Negan as they walked through the Sanctuary, everyone bowing into submission as they passed, it still chilled Melrose to her core, seeing how much power, how much control he had. He grinned that smug ass smirk, as he barked an 'As you were', which caused everyone to raise and go back to whatever they were doing. He was their King, and she was unwillingly, his Queen. They had made a stop by what they called the canteen, it was a makeshift cafeteria with tables and chairs, where they prepared meals for the rest of the people here, of course, Negan had already eaten, having his breakfast delivered to his room; but, Melrose hadn't had anything since their dinner the night before, and her stomach had begun to whine. As they entered the dining area, again, everyone began to bow until Negan waved his gloved hand at them, as a signal to piss off. He cut the line that was formed to retrieve food, and snatched a large red, shiny apple, a glass of orange juice and a granola bar and returned to where Melrose waited.

"It ain't much but it should hold ya over until we get back."He said,

"Thanks."

She quickly chugged the juice, discarding the cup and stuffed the granola bar into her pocket for later. As she followed him outside, she bit into the apple, the juice made her mouth water; it had been a while since she last had fresh fruit, every now and then, the Hilltop would send them apples, and from the similarity of the taste, she guessed that the Saviors had gotten the bushel from. Mel took another bite which instantly turned bitter in her mouth—Had Maggie made it to Hilltop? Had she lost the baby?—She wondered, as a grim shadow shrouded her face as they reached the old pickup truck that was waiting for them.

"You alright, babydoll?"Negan's voice pulled her from her thoughts,

"Yeah, I'm fine."She muttered, before climbing into the cab.

In-between them was a small duffle bag filled with a couple of water bottles, a large flashlight, extra batteries, and a small first aid kit. Melrose eyed the bag as she was just about to fasten her seat belt,

"Toss that shit over there, babydoll, ain't no reason for you to be so far away, Melrosey."Negan smirked, patting the spot beside him, where the barbwire bat was perched.

"I think that seat's taken, "Mel said in a snarky tone.

Negan arched a brow at her, his smirk widening, as he picked up Lucille and purposely stretched across her slowly, propping the bat at her side in the seat. "There now, darlin', come on over _**hereeee.**_ "

She sighed internally, and moved the bag to the passenger seat, beside Lucille and scooched over beside him; their thighs brushing against each other. Negan smirked at her once more before he fiddled with the radio which faintly began to play a jumbled up Journey song. He started up the engine which brought the truck sputtering to life, he let it run for a few moments before he shoved his hand down his pants.

"Um, what the fuck are you doing?"Melrose snapped,

"Oh settle down, babydoll, I ain't about to pull out my dick,"He barked, before grinning devilishly, "I mean, unless you want me to."

She rolled her eyes, just as he pulled out a sheathed knife, and plopped it down onto her lap. Melrose instantly recognized the knife, it was hers, the one he had taken away when she was first brought here.

"For our _**date**_."He said.

She smirked over at him, fixing the blade to her side, "My how romantic of you, Negan, I mean what's next, a box of chocolates? Flowers?"Melrose teased.

"Play your cards right and we'll see, "Negan smirked, winking at her.

* * *

As they drove down the road, the music fading in and out, Negan had one hand on the steering wheel, while the other tenderly squeezed Melrose's thigh, every now and then, he would slowly inch his hand closer, upward. She held her breath, trying to ignore how her stomach convulsed slightly, at the thought of his fingers, caressing her _**there**_. A blush formed on her cheeks as she shoved the thought away, " _ **Sooooo**_ , let's talk about us."Negan replied, in a gruff, sensual, drawn-out tone.

Melrose cut her eyes up at him, "What about us?"She asked,

"Oh you know, the hot, sexual tension between us, Melrosey."He said, his hand inching closer, sending a shiver down her spine.

She swallowed the lump that was being to form in her throat, "Mhmm, I think you're imaging think you're imaging things, do you honestly think that I enjoy any of this?"

"Them moans coming from you last night say otherwise, babydoll,"He grinned, devilishly down at her, "come on now, be honest, you fingered yourself last night, thinking of all the _**naughty**_ things you want me to do to you—"

"Ughh! Do you ever shut up?"She snapped, jabbing her elbow into his side.

Negan chuckled darkly, clearly enjoying the reactions he was getting from her, "Hell, you want me to clear the air first? I jerked off thinking of you, babydoll, and _**alllll**_ the things I want to do to that hot little body of yours."

Melrose averted her gaze, her cheeks and ears turning red, her nostrils flared in irritation, he was fucking with her, that aching began to throb deep within her as he inched closer, she swatted his hand away glaring over at him. "How about you keep your eyes on the fucking road and your hands on the wheel, _**babydoll**_."She spat.

He smirked, gripping the steering wheel at ten and two, "Deny it all ya want, Melrose, but there's a passion brewing between you and I. I felt it from day one, you and I just _clicked_."Negan said, snapping his fingers.

"I think you're confusing the emotions."Mel retorted, folding her arms across her chest as she turned away from him, gazing out the window.

* * *

About five hours later, they had reached their destination, in the old world this looked like a city's downtown area, small abandoned stores lined each side of the street, windows had been long busted out, doors were either hanging loosely by their hinges or completely gone. Melrose was skeptical of anything being left here, most places like this had long been ransacked of their goods at the very beginnings of the outbreak. Negan packed on the side of the road, outside of a shop, the letters of the sign had long been faded away but it looked like an old grocery store. He killed the engine, and for a moment they sat there, watching, it wasn't long before a small herd of Walkers was staggering towards the truck. Melrose tossed Negan his bat, before she readied her knife, slinging the duffle bag on to her shoulder. Her heart pounded within her as she gripped the door handle with a trembling hand, fear cut into her; it had been a while since she had been out like this, having to fight the dead and scrounging for scraps, for anything.

Time had seemed to be non-existent anymore, her time at the Sanctuary felt like a lifetime but in reality, it had only been a few days. Why did she feel like this? She knew the answer, narrowing her eyes as anger began to pulse through her, _I've gotten comfortable...being there...with him.,_ She thought, forcing the car door open. Two Walkers stumbled towards her, she glared up at them, her nostrils flaring as she grasped her knife in a death grip; she plunged the blade into the mushed skull of the first one, kicking it to the ground as she pulled the blade out. The second one stumbled towards her, she rammed the blade, deep through its temple. The animated decaying corpse ceased as it's rotten body went limp as Melrose freed her knife, the Walker dropped to the asphalt with a sickening _thud!_

Her breathing came out in labored puffs as she bent down, wiping the blood onto the shirt of one of the Walkers she killed. The hot sun and thick humid air seemed to bake her, sweat already seemed to form in every nook and cranny of her body. She looked over, as she rose, to see Negan swinging the barbwire bat, bashing the skulls of two Walkers, which exploded at the powerful force. " **Hellllll** yeah! Two for the price of fucking one!"He gloated, smirking darkly.

Her lips curled up slightly as she watched him, he was swift on his feet as he turned swinging Lucille again, knocking the head completely off of the other, the wrinkled leather skinned head rolled on to the ground a few feet away as if he had skipped a stone across water. It continued to groan and hiss, Negan trudged towards it, lifting a booted foot before bringing it down hard onto the skull, crushing it, blood and brains spewed out; he chuckled darkly as he did so as if this were a mere game.

Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted another Walker lumbering behind her, growling and hissing with outstretched arms; Mel spun around as the thing lunged towards her, she grasped the corpse by its tattered shirt, keeping it at arm's length, so it couldn't get close enough to bite her, before plunging the knife, deep in the side of its head. Its jaw hung open in an impossible manner, unhinged in a snake-like manner. She shoved the Walkers to the ground as she removed her knife, releasing a breath as she wiped her brow. Negan abruptly whistled, Melrose cut her eyes over at him, to find him watching her as he slung Lucille back onto his shoulder, "***-Damn, sweetheart, I got to say, watchin' you in action just now, has got me hard."He said, grinning devilishly at her as he approached her, closing the distance between, " _ **Soooo**_ , ya gonna help me out with that, or what?"

She rolled her eyes scoffing, "This is not the time and place, Negan."

He arched a bushy eyebrow at her, his grin widening, " _ **Ooooh**_ , so is this an invitation to your little humble abode? Because that's what I heard."

"Then you might want to get your hearing checked."She said, snarkily, as she bent down, searching the pockets of the no longer moving Walker.

"And what are you doin'?"

"Well one of these dead pricks has to have some keys to these cars, you could radio your guys to come to get them if you wanted or just have them hotwire them, or if ya don't want them, we could always siphon the gas,"Mel suggested, with a shrug of her shoulders. She had noticed the gas cans, pumps and siphoning equipment in the bed of the truck before they had left the Sanctuary.

"That ain't a bad idea, darlin',"Negan smirked down at her as she moved to the other one, "but I think we'll just take the gas. We can do that before we head out, come on let's take a look around."He said, with a nod of his head.

Melrose stood up, shifting the bag on her shoulder, she pulled out the large flashlight, as she followed him into the darkened remains of a grocery store. They snuck inside, back to back scanning for Walkers as Melrose flicked on the flashlight, so far there were none to be found, but that didn't mean they could let their guard down. Inside, like most places that they came across to scavenge, was an utter mess; shelves were toppled over, some broken, the ones that were still standing were coated in dust and cobwebs, debris was littered across the black and white tiled floor. The air even in here was humid and heavy, a dank, musky smell filled her nostrils, which made her cough, each time she took a breath, the smell seemed to get stronger. Melrose shone the flashlight about the room, bringing an illumination to the front half, leaving the back still painted darkness. Even from here, she could see that the shelves were mostly bare, most likely already picked through, particles of dust floated about the yellow light, like haunted orbs. She prayed there was something here, something in any of there buildings to make this trip and sexual taunts from Negan. worth it.

"So, want to split up, see what we can find?"She asked, glancing up at him.

"I ain't stumblin' around here in the dark, babydoll, _**yooooou**_ have the only flashlight, I " _accidentally_ " packed one,"Negan smirked, slyly. Melrose narrowed her eyes at him, tightening her grip on the flashlight in annoyance. He bent down, invading her personal space, she could feel his warm breath on her ear and neck, which caused her hair to stand on end, "Besides, sweetheart, this is a date. Now, what kind of guy would I be if I ditched my girl?"

Melrose rolled her eyes before meeting his dark filled gaze, the dim lighting cast a shadow across his face, making it impossible to miss the lust twinkling in his eyes. "Well, aren't you just the gentlemen."She said, sarcastically.

His smirk widened, "Always darlin', haven't I always been on my best behavior since we first met?"

"When we first " _met_ ", you bludgeoned two of my friends to death with a fucking baseball bat."

"And I could've done a lot worse than that, babydoll."

"Mhmm. How about you shut up and start walking, we need to check these shelves, we've got lots to cover on this " _ **date**_ " and I believe a gentleman gets his dates home before dark."Melrose said, shoving him forward, before brushing past him.

Negan scoffed as he trudged behind her as she lit the way, "Yes, _**ma'am**_."He taunted.

Melrose strolled down the first row, trying to forget the phantom, bloodied and mangled faces of Glenn and Abraham, even Beatrice. How many countless others had become victims to Lucille, staining her wood with their blood. She shivered forcing the thought away, her lips formed a purse line as she glanced behind her, Negan purposely staying close behind her, so close that she could feel his body heat, his breath, the smell of his strong, woodsy cologne. "Do you mind?"She snapped,

"Not at all."He grinned, proudly.

Melrose huffed a frustrated sigh, _Asshole.,_ She thought, turning back around to focus on their task.

Like she had expected most of the shelves were bare, near the end of the aisle they found a few packs of puddings in plastic cups, the dates surprisingly still good, along with a few other nonperishable foods, whatever was light of weight they placed inside the duffle bag. Melrose had come across some boxes which they placed some can foods and heavier items they had found. The next aisle was a bust, they continued on picking up whatever they came across, it wasn't much but it was something, perhaps, it meant less for them to take when the Saviors returned to Alexandria. As they turned the corner, Melrose shone the light cautiously keeping an eye out for the undead as Negan cleared an entire shelf with a single swoop of his arm, the items falling into the box that he held with his other hand. She shone the light to the right which caught on to a glass surface, she squinted, inching past the shelf, seeing that it was a large cabinet with clear doors, the glass still in tact, and behind that glass and the locked doors were boxes of medicine and medical supplies.

"Holy shit," She muttered under her breath. It was a rarity to see this, these items were the first to go with food whenever the outbreak started, she was surprised this was here, untouched. "Negan, look."She said, reaching behind her, tugging him on the sleeve of his leather jacket.

He shifted the box under his other arm and glanced up, following her gaze, "Holy fuck! We hit the jackpot, babydoll! You must be my lucky charm, Melrose Grimes."Negan replied, grinning ear to ear, causing her to laugh. They swiftly walked over to the cabinet, Negan placed the box on to the floor, and Melrose followed suit doing the same with the duffle bag.

"So think the keys are still here?"She asked,

"That shit's long gone, keep an eye out, I'll break the glass."He said.

She nodded, knowing that the sudden noise will lure out any Walkers that might be lingering in the dark. Negan rammed his leather-clad elbow with enough force to shatter the glass, clearing it away safely before he began grabbing the supplies, placing them into the bag on the floor. Melrose kept a lookout, when the unmistakable inhuman whizzing of the undead came from the darkness, the sound had come from the right and seemed to be approaching them. She stepped forward, shining the light, to see the crawling torso of a Walker, its other half nowhere to be seen. It crawled towards them growling and hissing, as it rounded the corner in their direction. Melrose walked to it, clearly avoiding the gnashing teeth and jagged yellowed fingernails; the thing tried to turn as she rounded it, quickly coming up behind it, she yanked the back of its tattered shirt, it continued to whizz and hiss, wanting to tear into her flesh. Mel stabbed the knife in the top of its head, killing it, she released it from her grasp, letting it fall to the floor, before walking back to assist Negan in clearing the supplies. He smirked down at her as she paused at his side, readjusting the knife and flashlight in her hands,

"Thanks for watching my back, babydoll."

She leaned against the now bare door frames of the cabinet, "Aww, now what kind of gal would I be if I'd let my date get eaten?"She smirked, patting him on his stubbled cheek, teasingly. Negan's grin widened, his lips parted, licking his lips slightly, preparing a snide remark but Melrose quickly removed her hand and turned away, "We should keep looking around."

"Whatever you say, darlin'."Negan chuckled darkly,

After the cabinet was emptied of the medical supplies, Negan and Melrose scouted out the rest of the building, only finding a few more items that were worth taking. She shifted the bag on her shoulder, it was now heavier than before, making the strap dig into her flesh in an uncomfortable way. They had now reached the back of the store, thankfully no more Walkers were wandering around in here, they passed a large section of coolers and freezers, items still remained but had gone bad years ago, even though they were sealed shut, the faint rotten aroma of turned food and soiled milk still assaulted their noses. Melrose strolled past a dusty magazine rack, her fingers lightly brushing the wrinkled covers as she passed, cobwebs hung from the corners hat housed tiny black spiders. She glanced up spotting a doorway with stairs leading up to a second level, "Guess the store owner lived upstairs, think we should check it out?"She asked,

"Couldn't hurt."Negan said, with shrug of his shoulders, "Lead the way, babydoll."

"Are you wanting me to go first because of the flashlight or because you want a good view of my ass?"Melrose retorted, cutting her eyes at him.

He laughed, smirking, "Damn, darlin', I'm flattered, you know me too well, Melrosey."

She rolled her eyes before carefully ascending the stairs, _Yeah...and I wish I didn't,_ She thought, her lips formed a purse line. Why, why did she enjoy this little game that they played? The constant snide and sarcastic remarks, the teasing, the egging on until his lips were against her. It was just to gain his trust, right? She didn't actually enjoy it...right? Her stomach churned slightly, knowing a part of her did. Melrose glanced down at her ring, which seemed to burn her skin. _Jase...,_

She sighed internally, her head aching dully, _Why,_ She thought, again. _How can I...enjoy this, even a little...after the shit he's done?_ , Mel asked herself, remembering the blood and piled mush that had become Abraham, Glenn's twitching and jerking body, his face bloody and with one of his eyes bulging out of his skull before Negan had finished him off. She then remembered Beatrice and Negan bashed her skull open with Lucille just for a busted lip, she swallowed hard, as she continued forward as if in trance, she could still hear the screams as he allowed an entire compound to be blown away to ash. Her grip on the flashlight tightened as her nostrils flared, she caught a glimpse of Lucille out of her peripheral vision, a lump forming in her throat as she felt disgusted with herself. She stepped forward onto the next step, but lost her footing causing her to fall forward, Mel quickly caught herself, placing a hand onto the wall as she steadied herself,

"Whoa, you okay, darlin'?"Negan asked, placing a hand onto the small of her back,

She shivered at his touch and glanced back at him with hardened eyes, "I'm fine."Mel snapped, before hurrying up the rest of the stairs towards the cracked door at the top. She clutched the cold doorknob and slowly pushed the door open the rest of the way, Melrose readied her knife as she entered the small apartment with Negan behind her. She released a sigh of relief, seeing no Walkers, she lowered her knife and furthered into the room; it was a small open room apartment, a tiny kitchen area on one side while the other housed a small couch, and a shattered TV. There were two closed doors down a narrow hall, that she assumed were the bathroom and bedroom. It didn't seem like much was here in this musky, messy room, perhaps there were things hidden away in the drawers or cabinets

"You check out here, Melrosey, I'll go have a look around back here."Negan said, strolling past her, heading towards the narrow hallway, swinging Lucille at his side nonchalantly _back_ and _forth_.

She watched him until he disappeared into one of the other rooms, she sighed and walked over to the kitchen area, clicking the flashlight off to preserve the battery life. Sunlight poured in from the windows, giving a warm cozy feel to the room that was unsettling. Melrose opened the cabinets to find nothing but dust and cobwebs, she scowled as she began pulling out the drawers; there was nothing but junk other than an open pack of batteries with some missing and a few boxes of matches. She took the items and stuffed them into the bag, "Shit."She muttered, slamming the drawer shut. Mel sighed in frustration, placing her hands onto the gritty countertop, she heard Negan's booted footsteps reenter the room behind her,

"I take it you didn't find shit."He said,

She glanced at him from over her shoulder, "No. What about you?"Mel asked, turning around.

"A few things that were worth a damn, but looks like whoever lived here took everything and hightailed it out of here."Negan replied, shifting the box under his arm.

"Good, that's less you can take from someone else."Melrose said, walking towards the door.

Negan scoffed, "It doesn't work that way, darlin', we still get our half even if we get things on our own."He said, following close behind her.

Melrose stopped in her tracks and turned towards him, narrowing her eyes at him, "What about the kids?"

Negan arched a bow at her, scoffing once again, "There aren't many kids around anymore."

"Judith."Mel spat, reminding him, "And Carl.."She said, lowering her gaze. _Even though he'd probably be pissed at me for calling him one_... _He had to grow up so fast...,_ She thought, before glaring back up at him, "What about them?"

He sighed, closing the distance between them, "Darlin', everyone's still got to pay their _**dues**_ , if not, _**wellll**_ , that's like cheating on their taxes and that's against the rules."He said, "Besides, I leave 'em plenty."

"Barely! You and your _**Saviors**_ take more than you need and you know it!"She snapped, hardening her eyes at him. "The Sanctuary has plenty to spare. You could take less, you just won't!"

Negan stared down at her, raising a bushy brow, "I could."He smirked, his eyes full of a darkened need.

Melrose gulped, getting his meaning, her expression slowly softened. "Would you..if..."She stopped herself, lowering her gaze,

Negan raised Lucille, lifting her chin with the knob of the barbwire bat, making her face him, " _ **If**_?"He inquired, darkly.

Her heart pounded loudly within her, as her lips parted slightly, trying to form the words, "...if we..."She said, her hand snaking up his leather-clad arm before she stopped once again, her nostrils flared as her eyes narrowed at him once again, "Ugh, forget it."Mel spat, shoving him away turning on her heels, hearing him snicker behind her.

* * *

"I think we pretty much-cleared everything that's here, darlin'."Negan said as Melrose followed him out of one of the other buildings They had searched every place, only finding a few various items that were worth taking, the best score was the medical supplies and medicine.

Melrose glanced up at the sky, now overcast with dark clouds, the smell of rain was strong in the air, "Looks like it's going to rain."She commented, in an attempt to clear the tension between them. Scouting the rest of the buildings had been awkward as they did so in complete silence, every now and then, coming across a few Walkers which they took turns taking out. Thunder rumbled in the distance, a flash of lightning streaked across the sky just as the rain began to come down in sheets. Negan and Melrose rushed towards the truck, tossing the rest of their score into the back, with the rest; luckily they had come across a tarp, they hurriedly secured it over the bed of the truck, protecting the items inside before they climbed inside.

"Shiiiiit!"Negan said, wiping his face,

Melrose's clothes were soaked, clinging to her causing her to shiver, "Looks like we'll have to wait on the gas."She said,

"Don't worry about it, babydoll, my guy's can always come back another day."He replied, before turning the key in the ignition.

They returned to the Sanctuary hours later, the rain still poured down, Negan placed the truck in park, through the rain streaming the windows, Melrose could see a group of Saviors and workers rushing towards the truck, "They'll unload, come on, let's get out of these wet clothes."Negan smirked over at her.

She rolled her eyes before opening the door, making a bolt for the entrance. She shivered as she entered the building, her damp clothes, now soaking wet once again. Mel wiped the rain from her face and wrapped her arms about her trembling; Negan glanced over at her, his lips curled up slightly, before he shrugged his leather jacket off of his body, placing it out her shoulders, "There darlin'."

Melrose glanced up at him, "Thanks."She said, smiling slightly. Her head still ached, only now the pain was throbbing at the base of her skull, surging down into her neck; she felt drained and wanted nothing more than to get out of these drenched clothes and have a nice hot shower. She walked beside Negan, pulling his jacket further about her, thankful for its warmth, her eyes lowered thinking of his warm, toned body. _Ugh, stop it.,_ She thought, forcing the thought away.

When they passed her room, and Melrose continued to follow Negan he smirked over at her, " _ **Oooooh**_ , coming back with me, are ya?"He jeered.

"Yeah, if that's okay."

"Hell yeah, it is, darlin'."Negan said, his smirk widening. They reached his room, he opened the door, holding it open for her, leaning against the door frame, "Ladies first."

She rolled her eyes at him as she entered his room, " _ **Sooooo**_ —"

"So nothing, I only came to use your shower,"Mel replied, flashing him a sly smile as she tossed his jacket onto the couch.

He arched a brow at her, that smug grin spread across his face, "Good idea, babydoll, I think I'll join you."He said, following behind her.

She scoffed, turning around, placing a hand on to his chest, stopping him. "I don't think so."She replied, snarkily.

"Alright fine, I'll radio down, have somethin' brought up for us to eat."

"Yeah, you do that."She muttered, indifferently before entering the bathroom. She shut the door, locking it, not wanting to have an incident like last time. Melrose peeled off the wet clothes, letting them fall to the floor, she grabbed a fresh towel before she stepped into the shower. She released a sigh as the hot water rained over her, soothing her aches and pains. Her mind wandered back to when they were in that apartment above the store, how she was almost willing to let him use her, just so those back in Alexandria or other compounds could have a little bit more. She lowered her eyes, sighing. Should she...should she let him defile her for them? _No. You can do this another way...the way you've been planning. Kill him!_

Her head began aching again, the pain getting worse. Why did she feel so conflicted? She huffed another sigh, closing her eyes as she washed her hair, _Forget it.,_ She thought.

Moments later she stepped out of the shower, she dried off and wrapped the towel about her, pouting, "Shit."She grumbled, realizing she had no clothes. And there was no way she was walking out in just a towel, she could already hear the inappropriate remarks that would come from Negan. She pouted again and began scrounging around for anything, she slipped on her panties for now until she returned to her room to fetch a fresh pair, her bra was soaked, she dropped it back to the floor with the rest of her wet clothes. She spotted a gray shirt, peeking out from the hamper, obviously, it was one of Negan's. Mel plucked it out, it didn't smell and it wasn't dirty, "This will have to do."She said, before slipping it on.

The shirt at least covered her ass, but it still didn't feel long enough, Negan's eyes would still be all over her, devouring her whole. She sighed pulling her damp hair up into a bun before exiting the bathroom to find Negan stretched out on the couch, drinking a beer. He peeked over at her and smirked, "Damn, you look might find there babydoll."Negan smirked, his dark eyes looking her up and down.

"Shut up."She snapped, walking towards the door,

Negan rose from the couch, "Whoa now, Melrosey, where's the fucking fire?"He asked, following behind her, "Lunch should be here soon—"

"Then have it sent to my room, I really...I just want to take a nap."She said, her head continued to throb, the pain making drowsy and her entire body ache.

"Okay, sure."He said, "You okay?"

She couldn't help but hear the concern in his gruff tone, "I'm fine, Negan, just a headache."

"Alright, well you get some rest babydoll, oh and you can keep the shirt."He smirked down at her,

She smiled faintly, rolling her eyes as she flipped him off before leaving the room. Melrose sighed as she walked down the hallway, her head pounding, she ran a hand across her head, squeezing her eyes shut. "Hey,"

Mel looked up to see Sherry standing outside of the wives room, "Oh hey, Sherry."

She smiled faintly, "You want to come in, you look like you could use a drink."

Melrose scoffed, "Do I?"She asked, returning the expression, "Uh, yeah sure."She said. Maybe drowning herself with a drink would numb the conflictions she was having. Sherry opened the door, allowing Melrose to enter first.

"Melrose! Hi, sweetie!"Olivia grinned, hugging her,

"Hi."She smiled, embracing the woman,

"Come on in, honey."She said, linking arms with her,

"What do ya want to drink, Mel?"Sherry asked,

"Anything ya got."

The women laughed, Sherry poured her a glass of bourbon as she took a seat beside Olivia and Tammy on the couch, "Here ya go."

"Thanks."Melrose said, taking it from her before downing it.

Sherry refilled her glass, "So, we heard you and Negan went out on a _**date**_."

Melrose scoffed, "It wasn't a date, we just went out scavenging."She said, before taking a sip. She lowered her gaze before releasing a sigh, "I-I'm sorry.."

"Sweetie, you ain't got nothing to be sorry for."Olivia said, "We just...well, we want to ask you something."

"Um, okay?"

"Have you two fucked yet?"

Melrose choked on the bourbon, her nose burning as she coughed "N-No!"

"Well, honey, when are you?"

Melrose laughed nervously, "Never. I told him from the beginning _**that**_ wasn't happening."She said, "Did..did he put you up to this...to try and convince me?"

"No, Melrose, we're only asking because..."Sherry stopped and sighed, taking a hold of Melrose's hand, "it's not a good idea to keep him waiting."

A chill slithered down her spine at the woman's warning tone, a lump of fear formed in her throat which she swallowed with the rest of her drink. "He...he's not going to force me, you know how he feels about rape. He told me...it was fine."She replied, softly, "He doesn't force you guys...does he?"

"No, we're on a rotation, though that's been a bit screwed up since you got here."Tammy said, "Which isn't a problem, we've enjoyed the break."She said, with a nervous laugh.

"Sherry went last night but—"

"I had to do all the work, he clearly wasn't there and was thinking on something else,"Sherry replied. Melrose lowered her gaze, remembering the shouting from the night before, the letter he had slipped under her door. "Mel, he's completely infatuated with you, he's never acted this way with any of us,"Sherry said,

"I—"Melrose said, "I can't...I can't do that..."

"Honey, it's just sex," Olivia said, softly.

Tears stung her eyes, "But it's not...it's..."She cried,

The women exchanged concerned expressions, "Oh sweetie, are you a virgin?"Olivia asked, sympathetically, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder.

Melrose wiped her eyes, nodding, before fidgeting with the ring on her finger, "Jase and I we...we were waiting until we got married."

Sherry smiled faintly at her, "I get it, but..hun, you're not his anymore. You aren't back there, you're _**here**_. You got to survive. We're only telling you this because...he's going to get angry if you keep making him wait. And yeah, he's not gonna force you, but it may not be you or us, but he's gonna take that anger out on someone."

Her breath hitched in her throat, "I-"

"It's just something to think about."Tammy said,

Melrose sighed, "Okay...I'll think about it."She said, numbly, before rising from the couch, "Thanks for the drink."

"I'll walk you out."Sherry said, leading her towards the door, "Mel, you don't have to do anything you don't want to, we're...we're just trying to make you aware."

"I know...thanks."

She smiled at her, "Hey, anytime you want to get from him or just want to hang out and drink, our door's always open."

"Thanks, Sherry."Melrose said, smiling faintly at her,

"Anytime."Sherry said, before disappearing back into the room.

Melrose reached her room and wandered inside, releasing a sigh as she shut the door behind her. She ran a hand over her face as she trudged towards her bed, groggily. She knew the wives meant well but bombarding her like this when she was already so...so lost. It made her head hurt worse, course the bourbon didn't help either. She removed the hair tie from her head and plopped on to the bed, closing her eyes as she tucked an arm under her pillow— _ **Knock, Knock, Knock**_ —she groaned, getting up, and sluggishly walking towards the door "Yeah?"She said, irritably opening the door.

"S-Sorry..."

It was a girl about Carl's age, she had dark mocha skin and curly short hair, "Umm...Mr. Negan wanted me to bring you your lunch."She stammered, nervously, offering her a plate that had a grilled cheese sandwich and a pile of potato chips.

"Uh thanks, but I'm not that hungry, why don't you have it."She said,

"Umm, I don't think he'd like that."

"Well then, it'll be our little secret."She said with a wink.

The girl laughed and smiled up at her, "Thanks, miss."

"No prob."She grinned before the girl dashed off to eat their secret. Mel shut the door and once again crawled into bed, listening to the rain and thunder before drifting off to sleep.

* * *

 _ **Tum-ti-ti-tum-tum-**_ there was a pause before the knock continued, _**Tum tum.**_

Melrose shifted in bed, sighing, her face scrunching up as the same annoying knock banged on the door, she stiffly sat up running a hand through her hair before standing up, trudging towards the door, opening it, "What?"She asked, rubbing the sleep from her eyes to see Negan smiling down at her.

"Still snoozing?"He asked,

"I was."Melrose said, folding her arms across her chest as she leaned against the door frame, "So what do you want, Negan?"She asked, arching a brow at him as she noticed he had one arm hidden behind his back.

His smile widened, " _ **Welllll,**_ dear wife, I got you a little somethin'."He said, her lips curled up slightly as she rolled her eyes, "For you, babydoll,"Negan said, moving his arm from behind his back to reveal a makeshift bouquet of white daisies and sunflowers, a bit of orange colored tissue paper was wrapped about them, tied with a bit of string. She laughed shaking her head at him as she took them,

"Thank you."

"That ain't all," Negan smirked, he stuffed his gloved hand into his jacket pocket and pulled out a candy bar, "now it ain't a box of chocolate, but it's chocolate."

"Really? Where'd you even find this?"She asked, smiling taking it from his hand.

"I got my ways."He said, with a wink. " _ **Sooooo**_ , I was wondering, if you'd like to come over and watch a late night movie? I can have Simon and the boys roll up a TV and get a few tapes if ya want."

Melrose took in the sweet scent of the flowers before glancing up at him, grinning slyly, "My, two dates in one day? Well, I just don't know what to say."She said, teasingly.

He scoffed, smirking down at her, "Say yes."He said in a low guttural tone,

"Is this just an attempt to get in my pants?"Mel asked, arching a brow at him.

Negan's smirk widened as he returned her expression, "Is it working?"

"No."She laughed, "Look if you want to fuck so bad, then go call for one of your other wives."She said, so coldly that it stunned her.

"They're not who I **w** _ **ant**_."Negan whispered, leaning down to her,

"Not my problem, _**babydoll.**_ "Melrose replied, snarkily.

Negan laughed darkly, shaking his head, "Damn. Well, we can still watch a movie if you're interested."

She looked at him puzzled, "You still want to, even though, we're not fucking?"Mel asked,

Negan shrugged his shoulders, "Why not? It's rainin', we had a _**hellllll**_ , of a day, it'd be nice to just relax. So whaddaya say?"

Melrose lowered her eyes to the flowers, "Mmmm...will there be popcorn?"She asked, with a grin as she looked up at him from under her lashes.

Negan chuckled, " 'Course."

"Well, I'll have to check my schedule,"She said, pausing for a moment, "okay, I'm free."

"Good, ya know you're welcome to come over for dinner too—"

"I'll get something my own, thanks."She said,

"You sure?"Negan asked, arching a brow, "Ya know, it ain't gonna be as good as what I'm havin'."

"Food's food. I can manage."Melrose said,

"Suit yourself, darlin', well I'll see ya later. I'll go wander about see what good flicks we have."

Melrose smirked, "Thanks Negan, for the flowers and candy bar."

"Anything for you, babydoll."He winked, before strolling down the hall.

She shut the door and leaned back against it, smiling down at the flowers, but as quickly as it came it faded, "Dammit..."She muttered, remembering what the wives had said _. ' Mel, he's completely infatuated with you, he's never acted this way with any of us,'_ Why? What was so special about her? She sighed, ungluing herself from the door. She placed the flowers on the nightstand, and unwrapped the candy bar, breaking a piece off and eating it as she plopped onto the bed, staring up at the ceiling.

* * *

It was about ten o'clock when Melrose left her room to heard to Negan's—after he had stopped by she had dressed, just slipping on a pair of black fitted sweatpants and a bra on before pulling back on the shirt—she had went down to the canteen to grab something to eat. Of course, when she entered the room went silent, everyone watching, fearfully; when she had approached the line waiting for food, everyone moved aside, she insisted that she could wait her turn but they refused to budge, forcing her to cut ahead. Negan was right, it was anything like the meals she had consumed when she was with him, just a bowl of broth and a chunk of bread. After she was nervously given her food, she took it back to her room, to eat; she didn't mind it, it was filling and warm, but as she ate, in the rare, quiet moments like this, she realized how alone she was.

She missed her dad and Carl and Judith and Jase. She missed them all...

Melrose lowered gaze as she trudged down the hallway, a part of her was actually excited about watching a movie, eating popcorn, something so trivial, was so rare now. She remembered the last time that she had time to watch a movie; it was before the Outpost incident, her and Jase on the couch, for once not scouting or scavenging, or rationing things. She smiled faintly at the memory, her heart aching, _I'll be back soon, Jase,_ She vowed.

Melrose reached his room and opened the door, finding Simon fiddling with a tangle of cords from the old television set and VCR, they were perched on to a small wood entertainment system, with small black wheels at each corner. Negan was standing over him, drinking a beer as his right hand man was busy working.

"Having some technical difficulties?"Mel asked,

Negan glanced over at her and smirked, "No, this'll just take a moment, Simon knows what he's doing."

"I could help."

Simon glanced over at her, flashing her that large toothy grin, "Thanks for the offer, Mel, but I can manage."He replied.

"Okay."She said, with a shrug of her shoulders, walking towards the couch. She glanced down at the coffee table seeing a stack of VHS tapes, she smiled faintly, it had been a while since she had seen any, the last movie she had seen had been a DVD that Jase had found, she tried to remember what it was, thinking that it had been some romantic comedy.

"Well if you won't be too much longer, Simon, I guess I'll go make us some popcorn."

"I can do it."Melrose suggested,

"Nonsense darlin', you just sit tight, go through the movies, find one you like."Negan said, before disappearing into the kitchen.

She pouted, her eyes darting over at Simon, sighing as she grabbed the stack of movies, ignoring him. A few seemed to be recorded from television, the sides bore white tape and in black sharpie, the films name's were scribbled. Her lips curled up, it was an odd collection of movies: there were two Abbott and Costello movies, Ghostbusters, Love Story, and Die Hard. Melrose glanced up from the tapes to see sitting on the edge of the coffee table was the folded up map that revealed the areas that were under the Savior's control. She gulped, she glanced up to see Simon was still focused on the cords, and slowly picked it up; she lowered her gaze, chewing her lip, _It's too risky to take it...,_ She thought, placing it back down just as Simon sat up. The TV came on with static crackling on the screen, his eyes held her gaze before looking to the folded up map, then meeting her eyes again as he stood up, strolling towards the couch where she sat, the table separating them.

" _ **Sooo**_ , I heard that you're the one to thank for that good score,"He said, a snarkiness in his tone.

"There's no reason to thank me, I didn't really do much."Mel replied,

"Well let me tell you, our folks really appreciate it, I know the doc does too."Simon said, before squatting down in front of the coffee table, leaning towards her, "It must be hard, your prick dad and his folks could probably use those items, but it's reassuring to know that your on board."

Melrose cut her eyes up at him, "What choice do I have?" She said, curtly, "I'm here now."

His eyes focused on to the map once again before he looked back at her, "I know you're the Boss's new _**pet**_...but I can't help but wonder, can we actually trust you."

"Have I done anything, Simon, to make you not trust me?"Melrose asked,

He smirked at her as he rose to an upright stance, stuffing his hands into his pockets, "Not yet."

She narrowed her eyes at him just as Negan reentered the room, carrying a bowl full of popcorn and two beers, "Am I interrupting something?"He asked, as he crossed the room, pausing at the couch.

"No, just making small talk, trying to get to know one another."Simon said,

Melrose rolled her eyes at him, taking a beer from Negan, "Thanks for setting this up for us."She said, forcing a smile.

"No problem, well I'll get out of your hair, enjoy your movie."Simon replied, before turning on the heels of his boots, making his leave, leaving Negan and Melrose alone.

He plopped down onto the couch beside her, practically forcing the bowl of popcorn into her hands, "Was that really what was goin' on, babydoll? He wasn't—"

"Don't trust your right hand man, hm?"She asked, arching a brow at him before stuffing a hand full of popcorn into her mouth.

Negan scoffed, a slight smirk on his lips as he cracked open his beer, "I just want to know, darlin', if he heeded my little _**warning**_."He said, grimly, before he took a sip.

"We really were just talking, Negan,"Melrose replied, "but...he did mention my dad, is he...is he not following your rules?"She asked, glancing over at him.

Negan looked over at her, taking notice of her downcast gaze and how she nervously fidgeted with the ring on her finger. "He's being a bit stubborn but it's only been a few days, it takes a little bit for some to fall into line."

"And what if he doesn't? I'm your _**"extra leverage"**_ , right? So...what are you gonna do to me?"Melrose asked, carefully.

The flash of fear and uncertainty in her eyes wounded him, he swallowed hard, cupping her face in his hands, "Melrose, I'm not gonna hurt you."

Melrose looked up at him, searching his face, his eyes seemed to speak the truth, but she knew the things he had done, what he was capable of; the way he had said her name in such a low, gruff, sensual tone, soothed her but she refused to let her guard down. She placed a hand on his arm, pulling his hands away, "Yeah...sure."She said, softly.

Negan's lips formed a purse line as Melrose chugged her beer, "So, what flick are we watchin'?"

"It doesn't matter to me."Mel said, bluntly.

"Well, why don't we just watch 'em all?"He asked, with a shrug of her shoulders, "Have a little marathon?"

Melrose smiled faintly, remembering Jase and how they used to have movie nights similiar to this back before the outbreak, "That actually sounds...fun."She said, softly.

Negan smirked down at her, "Good."

Melrose pulled her legs up onto the couch, sitting Indian style as she leaned back onto the couch, stuffing another hand full of popcorn into her mouth.

He watched her for a moment, before saying, "Melrose,"

"Hm? What is it?"She asked, chewing and wiping her mouth as she looked over at him.

He laughed, before raising a hand, tenderly cupping her face once again, his fingers raked through her hair; she met his eyes, darkened with need, his lips parted slightly, "I'm really not gonna hurt you, babydoll."

"I...I want to believe you, but,"She admitted, before stopping herself, her eyes darting over to Lucille, looming by the door.

Negan followed her gaze before tightening his grip on the nape of her neck, making her face him, "That's not gonna happen to you."

She lowered her gaze, her heart pounding loudly in her has her stomach convulsed at his touch, his closeness. "And how many have you told that to? There's a lot of blood on that bat, Negan."Melrose said, glancing back up at him.

He sighed, his nostrils flaring, "I do what I have to do. Babydoll, the world's a _**waaaaaay**_ different place."

She clenched her jaw, she knew that, even she and her dad and those in Alexandria had done terrible things but...that didn't mean they were the same as _**him**_. _Stop trying to rationalize things,_ She thought, her mind running rampant.

"You're my wife now, I ain't gonna let anything happen to you."He said, possessively.

She scoffed, "We'll see...when my dad pisses you off enough..."

Before she could turn away, Negan's lips were pressed against hers, she blinked stunned before succumbing to the kiss. She didn't know if he did this to shut her up or if he was trying to prove that he wasn't going to hurt her, and she really didn't care. Melrose grasped a hold of his shirt, twisting it in her fist as she parted her lips, allowing his tongue to slip into her mouth; their lips parted and met again, lapping at each other. She had been craving this all day but had refused to admit it, she felt the bowl of popcorn tilt in-between them, Melrose loosened her grip on his shirt and pushed him away,

"Um," She stammered, breathlessly, her face glowing red, "I think you should start the movie."She replied, glancing up at him from under her lashes.

Negan laughed, smirking, "Right."He said, before raising from the couch and sauntering over to the television, grabbing one of the VHS tapes along with him. Melrose sat back positioning the bowl of popcorn beside her, to act as a barrier to seperate them. She chewed her bottom lip as she tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear, _Shit...,_ She cursed herself, for being so relaxed with him.

The tape was placed into the VCR and Negan pressed play, the screen lost it's static and began to play, revealing the black and white movie featuring Abbott and Costello. Negan walked back over to the couch and plopped down beside her, scooping up a hand full of popcorn as he stretched his legs out, crossing one over the other, his feet propped on the coffee table.

"You familiar with them, darlin'?"

She scoffed, plucking a few pieces from the bowl, "Yes, their 'who's on first?' bit is a classic."Mel said, "I told you before, I like older things."

He smirked, leaning over, with his tongue he claimed the piece of popcorn that was in between her thumb and index finger, his smirk widened while he munched it as she rolled her eyes at him, her cheeks reddening. "Jackass."She grumbled, smiling faintly which caused him to laugh.

The first movie ended and the second was popped in, by the third movie which was Love Story, the popcorn had been devoured and the bowl had been moved to the floor. The movie began with that infamous beautiful, yet sorrowful tragic score; as the movie played on and the tragic story of the lovers, Oliver and Jenny, unfolded, Melrose couldn't help but glance over at Negan. He still remained stretched out, his right arm on the armrest of the couch with his hand perched against his temple, his left arm was draped over the back of the couch; his dark orbs were misty eyed as he watched the screen.

 _Poor guy,_ She thought, feeling sorry for him. This had to bring back memories of Lucille and her tragic end, Melrose snuggled against him, resting her head against his chest, wrapping an arm about his torso, "I-I'm sorry..."She said, softly.

Negan glanced down at her taken aback, "For what, babydoll?"He asked, his left arm slowly snaking about her.

"For this movie...this has to bring up some bad memories, you...you lived this."

He sighed, a faint smile formed on his lips, "Darlin', that was a long time ago."

"Yeah, but that shit doesn't leave."She said, looking up at him, her brow furrowed, "You can put up a front for everyone else because they don't know about her, but I do...whenever you talk about her, you look so sad..."Melrose said, softly, unshed tears swelled up in her eyes.

Negan heard her sniffle, his brow furrowed, "You want me to put in something else?"He asked.

Melrose nodded. She shifted on the couch so he could get up, she wiped her eyes as he stopped the tape, placing in another one, silence invaded the room until an old commerical began to play from the recorded tape. Negan sat back down on the couch, returning to his relaxed position, Melrose snuggled back against him and he placed an arm around her, holding her close. The movie began revealing it was Ghostbusters, Melrose smiled faintly, her eyelids began to grow heavy, and a thought crossed her mind that she was too tired to force away—this somehow felt, okay—she fought to keep her eyes open but soon dozed off. The movie played on until it ended, the VCR popped the tape out, the static crackling on the screen, Negan shifted, "You want another drink, babydoll, before the next one?"He asked, she didn't respond, "Melrose?"Negan asked, again, hearing her breath in and out, shallowly. Negan glanced down at her, seeing that she had fallen asleep, his lips curled up into a smile at her frame against him, her fingers lightly gripping his shirt. He leaned back carefully, not wanting to disturb her, and rested his head against the back of the couch, he closed his eyes, a smile still on his face as he drifted off to sleep thinking, that this...was how things were meant to be.


	7. A Midnight Rendezvous

_**Hello lovely readers, back with another update. I've actually had this chapter done for a bit, and I was planning to upload two chapters at once, but I'm still working on the next one. So I thought, I'd not keep you guys waiting. But I am planning to maybe wait to upload until I have at least two or three chapters are done, for the times when I get super busy. Next year is vastly approaching and it's gonna be really busy with me since I will be moving to be with my husband. But enough of that stuff, on to the story!**_

 _ **A huge thank you for everyone who has, alerted, favorited, and reviewed. It really means a lot.**_

 _ **PLEASE REVIEW!~**_

 _ **ALSO...THIS CHAPTER HAS A SEX SCENE IN IT SO...YEAH, IF YOU AIN'T INTO THAT...HERE'S YOUR WARNING LOL.**_

* * *

Chapter 7: A Midnight Rendezvous

Melrose awoke in Negan's room curled up on the couch, only he was gone. A blanket had been placed about her frame, she sat up stiffly to see a folded piece of paper on the coffee table with her name in black marker beside a bowl of still warm oatmeal, a spoon, and a glass of orange juice. Her lips curled up slightl yas she rubbed the sleep from her eyes before picking up the bowl taking a bite. She then snatched the note and opened it,

 **Babydoll, sorry I had to leave you this mornin' but I got some things to take care of. I'll be back later, try not to miss me too much. Breakfast's on me.**

 **Kisses, Negan**

She rolled her eyes, a smirk formed on her face which quickly faded away, she lowered her gaze to the bowl of lumpy oatmeal and spooned at it incuriously. She couldn't lie to herself, last night had been nice, had been comfortable. Melrose leaned back against the couch and sighed, running a hand through her hair, "Damnit..."She muttered under her breath.

She actually did miss him. His warm body beside hers, his lips pressed against hers, his wandering hands...

Her stomach convulsed and between her legs became warm at the thought, she bit her lip, "***-Damnit, Mel, stop it."She chastised herself, sighing.

She forced the rest of the oatmeal down, not wanting to waste it, and downed the juice before going into the bathroom to freshen up. She turned on the sink, letting the water run for a bit before splashing it on her face as if that would wash away those thoughts, those feelings.

She left Negan's room and returned to her own room to change clothes. She removed the shirt she had taken from his hamper, it still smelled of him, his musk and woodsy cologne. She tossed it into the corner of the room and continued to undress. _What's wrong with me?_ She thought.

Mel pulled on a basic black, v neck tee and a pair of jeans, after brushing her messy hair she pulled it back into a ponytail, before slipping into her combat boots. She glanced out the window, the sun was blinding and high in the sky, it had to be about noon. She wondered how long Negan had been gone, a part of her wondered when he would be back.

She huffed a sigh forcing the thought away as she left her room, she had to keep busy, or those thoughts would eat her alive. Melrose headed downstairs and outside of the Sanctuary, heading towards where Negan had shown her where his new recruits would be trained. She could hear the sound of gunfire echoing off the walls of the small courtyard. She rounded the corner to see the small group firing at the makeshift targets, with Dwight supervising them, he glanced over at her and held up a hand, which caused them to cease firing. He walked over towards her, "Nice to see I don't have to cover for you again today."He said, with a slight grin.

"Yeah, I'm sorry about that—"

"Hey, it's fine, it's not like you had much of a choice."Dwight said, waving her apology off, "You alright to take over?"

"I can handle it from here, thanks, Dwight,"Mel replied.

He nodded before slipping a radio off his hip, "You need anything you call me, alright Mel?"He said, handing her the walkie-talkie.

"Yeah, sure, thanks."

"No thanks needed just doing my job, if anything happened to you, Negan would have all our asses."Dwight muttered, "Good luck, kid."

She turned watching him leave, lowering her gaze before she turned back to the trainees, "So um let's work on aiming. I couldn't help but notice some of you missing the target, ammo is hard to come by nowadays. We can't afford to waste anything."

"We've got plenty to spare here, toots." replied a large man, his skin was tanned from the long hours in the sun, perhaps before or after the outbreak, his short dark brown hair was buzz cut and a scruffy beard of brown.

Her lips formed a purse line as she scowled at the man, "And out there you don't. Look bub, have you ever been out there, fighting hoards of those things?"She snapped, the man's smug look quickly vanished, "That's what I thought. Out there you have limited sources."She said, harshly. The group was silent and exchanged nervous, fear-filled glances, she sighed, "Look, I'm not trying to scare you guys...I'm just trying to make you all aware of what's out there."She said, pausing as she picked up one of the guns. Her gaze lowered, as she realized that those were almost the exact words the wives had warned her about Negan, her mouth ran dry at the thought, remembering how they spoke of his anger, she glanced up at the small crowd, these people or even Peter and the others, Negan could take his rage out on all of them...

A woman with strawberry blonde hair that was styled in a french braid, stepped towards her, "Are you okay, Ms. Melrose?"She asked,

Melrose glanced up at her and smled faintly, "Yeah, I'm fine."She said, shaking the thought away. "So, let's start practicing."

* * *

Melrose stayed with the newbies for about two hours, they had caught on rather quickly which was a good thing. She had dismissed them the group chatted about themselves as they left the courtyard, heading for the canteen to grab lunch, she followed behind them at a distance, her mind elsewhere.

 _Where did Negan head off to?_ She thought. Surely he hadn't gone back to Alexandria, from what she had gathered, the Saviors stopped by their "territories" once a week, it hadn't been a week for them. She chewed her bottom lip nervously, but even he had mentioned how Rick was being stubborn, was going to Alexandria to "teach" him a lesson?

She shook the thought away as she entered the room, taking place in line, everyone turned and looked at her, she looked up to see that they had all stepped aside for her to go before them. She sighed, knowing that there was no convincing them that she could wait her turn, and stepped ahead of the line. Melrose was given a sandwich and a bottle of water, the older woman, never once meeting her eyes. She sighed internally and scouted out an empty table, she strolled over to the table and sat down. Without Negan here, she was more alone than ever, she picked at the sandwich, the food tastless in her mouth.

"Hey, mind if I sit with ya?"

She glanced up to see Dwight, "Sure."She said,

He sat down across from her, placing his tray onto the table, "So how'd it go?"

"Um good, they're actually catching on pretty well. They just need to learn to not be so trigger happy but they're learning."

He nodded as he munched into his sandwich, "So, I heard you had a little chat with the _**wives**_ last night."Dwight replied, glancing up at her.

Melrose swallowed her food hard, shifting in her seat as she looked up at him, "Boy, the word really gets round around here."She replied, snarkily.

Dwight scoffed, "You better get used to, Melrose, your one of his now. You don't get to have secrets anymore."

"You seem to be an expert, Dwight, are you the head gossiper around here or something?"

He smirked faintly, shaking his head, a gleam of sadness flickered in his eyes, "Let's just say I know from experience."Dwight said, grimly, "I guess, Sherry didn't tell you."

"Tell me what?"Mel questioned.

Dwight sighed sorrowfully, hanging his head down, his stringy blonde hair covering the burned side of his face. "Sherry's my wife... _ **was**_ my wife." He said, quickly correcting himself as he looked up at her.

Melrose's brow furrowed at him, "Look, the whole reason we ran away and bumped into your buddy, Daryl, was to protect her sister. Negan was gonna " _ **marry**_ " her, she was sick, needed meds and that shits hard to come by, she didn't want to be with him, so we ran...long story short, Tina died. We didn't have any other choice, we had to come back here, Negan...was gonna kill me for what we did, but Sherry...she, she stood up for me, told him that if he didn't kill me, she'd marry him. Well, he didn't kill me but he did..."Dwight trailed off, hanging his head down.

Melrose looked at him, her brow wrinkled as sorrow shadowed her face, "So...he did do that to you..."She said, softly, fear piercing her heart as she tried to not focus on the severely burned flesh of his face

Dwight nodded, "I'm not tryin' to scare you."He said before sighing, "Look...you've been dealt a shit deck of cards, Mel, but you're sitting better than anyone here, even his other wives. You got to survive, so just _**do it**_. Do whatever it takes to stay alive, for the sakes of those people back home."He said.

Melrose lowered her gaze, fidgeting with the ring on her finger, Dwight smiled faintly at her, "You want to one day get back to your guy, then just _**do it**_...this ain't gonna last forever."He said, in an overly grim tone, rising from his seat. "And whatever you're planning, forget about it kid, I don't want to see that pretty face end up like mine."

She looked up at him, "I.."

"It'll be easier if you just stop fightin' him," Dwight said, before walking away leaving Melrose alone in a crowded room.

* * *

Melrose wandered down the hallway towards her room, she had forced half of the sandwich down after Dwight had left and now was wishing that she hadn't, her stomach churned, a feeling of nauseous hung in the back of her throat. Her mind was running wild—the words of Dwight and the wives buzzed around in her head like a hive of angry bees—she sighed.

There was no lying to herself anymore, her body _**wanted**_ him, wanted to _**feel**_ him inside her; her mind, on the other hand, was a conflicted tangle of do or don't. Her thumb brushed against her engagement ring, pressing it hard into her skin. _Jase,_ She thought. Could she really betray him like this? He did tell her that it was okay to do whatever she needed to do, but...of course, his eyes betrayed him, proving his words were false. If she went through with this it could mean extra rations, more supplies for Judith, Carl, Jase, her dad, and everyone back in Alexandria...but was it worth letting him " _ **use**_ " her?

She sighed once again, her head beginning to ache dully which caused that nauseous feeling to intensify. She squeezed her eyes shut, rubbing her temples as she walked on, until she collided into someone, her eyes shot open to see Arat scowling at her, "Sorry, Arat—"

"WATCH THE FUCK WHERE YOU'RE GOING!"She barked glaring at her as she shoved past her.

Melrose narrowed her eyes at the female Savior as she stormed past her, "HEY!"She snapped back, "I said I was sorry! I don't know what the hell your problem is with me, but I haven't done a fucking thing to you!"

Arat paused and turned around, glaring daggers into her, "Really?"Arat snarled, through gritted teeth, "Then how about I refresh your fucking memory! That Outpost you and your shit heads attacked...my brother was there! All of you killed them while they were fucking sleeping!"She screamed bitter unshed tears glistened in her eyes as Melrose's face paled.

"Oh shit..."She said, softly, "Arat, I-I'm so—"

"Save your fucking apology!"

"Listen...just so you know, I...I tried to stop them, "Melrose confessed, "I was there...but I-I couldn't do it. What happened there was...despicable."She said. For a moment she was transported back in time...she remembered her body was unmoving as she stood in a small room where people were sleeping, she was standing beside a bed where a man was covered up sleeping, a knife in her hand. Her brow had furrowed as she dropped the knife to the floor, while her dad and the others sneaking about murdering everyone there; Rick had yelled at her to do it, but she refused, instead of trying to stop them from killing anyone else...but Rick had shoved her to the ground. "Killing unarmed people while their asleep...it's immoral. I tried to stop them but they...they wouldn't listen to me...my own dad didn't listen to me..."She said, grimly lowering her gaze, "So, I get it...why you're pissed, you have every right to be."

Arat averted her eyes, swallowing before huffing a sigh, "Look...next time just watch where you're going."She said, a barely visible smile formed on her lips,

Melrose returned the expression, "Yeah, I'll do that."She said.

Arat turned around and disappeared down the hall as Melrose turned walking towards her room. She entered her room, shutting the door behind her and released a sigh, at least the tension between her and Arat was some what resolved. Mel plopped on to her bed, after gathering the book that Negan had got her on her first day here, perhaps, reading a grim tale would take her mind off of him. As she stretched out on to the bed, belly first, she glanced over catching a glimpse of the flowers Negan had got her the night before. She pouted, lowering her gaze to the book and began to read, trying to keep her mind off of Negan.

* * *

Melrose had just finished 'The Raven' and was now in the middle of 'The Masque of the Red Death' when that infamous knock tapped at her door. She rose up from the bed, marking her place in the book before closing it before she strolled towards the door. Her heart fluttered within her, and she cursed herself for being so captivated. She opened the door to find Negan smirking down at her, an arm perched against the door frame with Lucille at his side, his legs crossed and the baseball's end cap was pressed against his boot.

"Howdy babydoll, miss me?"He asked,

She smirked up at him, arching a brow as she folded her arms across her chest, " _ **Maybe**_."She replied, "So, where were you?"

"What's it to ya darlin'?"Negan snapped. Melrose pouted narrowing her eyes up at him, he huffed a sigh, "I wasn't in Alexandria if that's what you were thinkin'."

"Okay...so what do you want?"She inquired,

Negan scoffed. "Well, I wanted to see if you'd like to stop by for some drinks later tonight?"

She grinned devilishly, batting her lashes up at him, as she grasped a hold of his leather jacket with one hand while the other slowly slid upward across the tee he was wearing, stopping behind his neck. " _ **Ooooh**_ , so now you're trying to get me drunk, huh?"She smirked.

Negan arched a brow down at her, his grin widening, "Is that the kind of guy you think I am, darlin'?"He asked, lowering his arm from the door frame, bringing his hand up grasping a hold of her chin, his thumb lightly brushing across her cheek which sent shivers down her spine. His eyes darkened as his lips curled into a fiendish grin."Look, you ain't got to come if you don't wanna."Negan said, in a hushed voice as he leaned down to her, his lips inches away from hers.

A labored breath escaped from her lips as she swallowed hard, her eyes held his gaze, "What time?"She asked, softly.

Negan's hand slipped away from her face, his thumb hooking into one of the belt loops of his gray pants, he shrugged his shoulders. "9? 9:30?"He smirked.

"Okay, sure," Melrose replied, at that moment she had made her decision...

* * *

Night had settled in and Melrose was walking down the hallway, her eyes focused on Negan's door that loomed at the end of the corridor. She swallowed the lump that had formed in her throat as her nerves ran haywire. She paused, brushing out a wrinkle in the short dress that barely covered anything—after Negan had left, she had gone to the wives, confiding in them that she had decided to go through with _**it**_ , but that he was oblivious to it. She had asked them if they could help her get ready. Olivia had styled her hair in big volumous curls which spilled down her back. Lily helped with her makeup, giving her a sultry nude smokey eye with winged eyeliner, she had painted her lips in a red lipstick which she swore would not wear off. Tammy had picked out the dress, a super short black v neck strapless number—Melrose sighed trying to pull it down in the back, the dress clung to every curve, the plunging v neck exposing her chest. Her cheeks reddened as she fidgeted with the heels that were pinching her feet, her gaze lowered to her left hand which felt naked...

She had left her engagement ring in her room, the only jewelry she wore now was her necklace. She messed with the dress once more before strolling down the moonlit painted hall, towards his room. She stopped at his door, placing her hand onto the doorknob, she stopped for a moment, from within she could hear talking and laughing. Thinking that perhaps he was watching something on the television set that still remained from the night before, her heart hammered loudly with her as she took a deep breath and forced open the door, "Sorry I'm a little late, Negan, I—"Melrose froze in her tracks, seeing that he wasn't alone. On the couch sat Simon and Dwight, Fat Joey was sitting in one of the armchairs that matched the one Negan was perched in. In each of their hands was playing cards and the coffee table was littered with beer bottles. Negan whistled slowly placing his deck of cards on the table, as he rose from his seat. "Oh shit...s-sorry, I'll just come back later."She said, avoiding the gawking stares from the men. She quickly turned around and was about to head out the door, when abruptly, Negan's leather clad arm shut the door, his arm outstretched, pinning her in place. She gulped and turned around, glancing up at him from under her long lashes.

"***-Damn, babydoll, _**loooooook**_ at you. You look good enough to eat, _**soooo**_ , why are you all dolled up for, hm?"Negan asked, in a low gruff voice, his dark eyes looking her up and down, devouring her.

"Well, I just thought that tonight could be... _ **special,**_ " Melrose said, smiling flirtatiously at him.

He arched a bushy brow down at her, as he leaned closer, "Oh? And how's that?"He inquired, a fiendish smirk spread across his face.

She clenched her jaw, clearly Negan could read between the lines, but of course, he was going to toy with her, like a cat playing with a cornered mouse. " _ **Welllll**_ , I can't really say in mixed company."Melrose replied, in a sultry tone, her eyes darting over to the men who were now watching this act play out, before she met his gaze again, "And since you're busy, I'll just come back later—"

"Oh darlin', you aren't goin' anywhere," Negan said, his smirk widening, "these assholes were just leavin'."He replied, his eyes cutting over to them, "Right?"

"Um yeah, I had a shit hand anyway," Simon said, nudging Dwight in the ribs before standing up from the couch.

Dwight rolled his eyes as he chugged the rest of his beer before standing up and following behind Simon and Fat Joey towards the door. Melrose moved aside and Negan wrapped an arm around her, pinning her to his side, as they headed out the door, Dwight's eyes cut over to Melrose, raising a brow at her, she quickly lowered her eyes avoiding his gaze, until they were gone and Negan closed the door.

He glanced down at her smirking, his eyes looking her up and down once again, before he ushered her over to the couch, "So, whaddya drinking, darlin'?"Negan asked,

"Whatever you're having,"Mel replied, cutting her eyes up at him, giving him a flirtatious grin.

His smirk widened, arching a brow at her, "Oh? Ya sure you can handle it?"He inquired.

She returned his expression. batting her long lashes, "I can handle it, _**babydoll.**_ "

"Alrighty then."Negan chuckled. He turned on his heels and disappeared into the kitchen while Melrose took a seat on the couch, removing the heels which she shoved under the coffee table, out of the way.

"Here ya go, Melrosey," Negan said, as he returned from the kitchen, carrying two glasses and a bottle of Jack Daniel's. He sat down beside her and began to pour their drinks,

"Thanks."She replied, taking the glass from his hand.

" _ **Sooooo**_ , babydoll, why the change of heart?"He asked, moving closer beside her as she took a sip.

She glanced over at him, "Well, I-I just thought, ya know, you've waited long enough."

He arched a brow at her, noticing the missing ring on her finger, "You sure you want that, babydoll?"Negan asked in a soft, sincere tone.

Melrose looked up at him, taken aback by his concern, she lowered her gaze to her glass, the corners of her lips tugged up into a slight grin, "I'm sure, Negan."She replied, before finishing off her drink. She reached across and grabbed the bottle and refilled her glass, Negan arched a brow at her before finishing his in one gulp. "What? You did invite me for drinks, after all."

He scoffed, placing his glass out for her to refill his glass, "I know, I just wasn't expecting _**thisssss**_ as a _**surprise**_."Negan said, his dark eyes glancing down, focusing on her cleavage.

She smirked, flushing, "I _**cannn**_ leave if ya want."

"I'm not sayin' that, babydoll, I just...want you to be sure that _**this**_ is what you want. It's pretty obvious how I feel, darlin', but I know what ya said—"

"I changed my mind."Melrose said, quickly, "That's all."

Negan stared at her for a moment, noticing the hesitant look in her eyes, "Whatever you say, Melrosey."

* * *

An hour had passed, Negan and Melrose had polished off the whiskey and had moved on to a bottle of wine, which was almost empty now, thanks to the drinking game they had decided to play, 'Never Have I Ever..' to make some conversation. "How about another drink?"Melrose suggested, raising from the couch, her head began to swim and she almost lost her footing but quickly steadied herself, "I-I'll go fetch another bottle of wine—"

"Melrose, stop."Negan said, grasping a hold of her wrist in a gentle manner, she turned to face him, "You know, you don't have to force yourself to do this, if you don't want to then I'm not goin.—"

"I want to!"Melrose abruptly blurted out, her cheeks burning red from embarrassment and the wine. She lowered her gaze, "I...I want to...I'm just nervous..."She admitted the words felt like poison needles numbing her lips. That side of her that she had been fighting had finally overpowered her, _I'm sorry Jase..,_ She thought, a twinge of guilt pricked her heart but that voice inside counteracted, _You have to do this to gain his trust..._ She told herself.

Negan smiled, "Babydoll, I'm not going to hurt you,"He said, staring up at her, his dark eyes full of a sexual hunger. Melrose bit her bottom lip, knowing that he could see the same burning desire that was swirling in her own eyes. Negan leaned back on the sofa, which pulled her closer, Melrose turned around facing him and straddled him as she placed herself in his lap, wrapping her arms around his neck. He smirked as his hands instantly found their way to her hips; his face was inches away from hers, she could taste his warm breath on her lips, sweet like the wine they had just consumed. "We can take things _**slooooow**_."He said, in a low gruff voice which sent shivers down her spine.

Negan pressed his lips against hers and she instantly melted, Melrose deepened the kiss, tugging lightly at the hair that reached the nape of his neck. Their tongues danced together hungrily, she could feel Negan's hands feeling for the zipper of her dress, she broke away from the kiss, both of them panting. Melrose moved her hair over her shoulder as Negan quickly undid the zipper; she slipped out of the dress, tossing it to the ground before reclaiming her seat on his lap, crashing her lips against his once more. Negan unclasped her bra as he deepened the kiss, somehow it was flung to the floor, Melrose tugged at Negan's shirt, she wanted it gone so she could feel his skin against hers. She could feel him smirk against her lips as they kissed, finally he pulled away, Melrose pulled the shirt off of him, with his help, Negan smirked up at her, "***-Damn, babydoll."

"Shut up."She snapped, before capturing his lips once more, pressing her breasts against his bare chest.

Melrose could feel an ache growing within her, she _**wanted**_ him, _**needed**_ him; she could feel him hardening and the thought made her shiver. As they continued their passionate, lust filled kiss, Negan growled into her mouth as he stood up from the couch lifting her up with him. Melrose wrapped her legs about his waist, they broke the kiss to recapture their breaths, as Negan walked towards the bed, carrying Melrose with him. He began kissing her neck, gently nipping at her sensitive flesh, her fingernails dug into his skin as she released a soft moan. They reached the bed and Negan gently plopped her down on to the plush, soft pillows and blankets; she stared up at him, with hungry eyes and watched as he quickly removed the rest of his clothing. Melrose felt her blush deepen when she saw Negan's erect member, she quickly looked away. She had only seen Jase's, and not to discount her fiance, but she noticed that Negan's was a few inches longer, bigger. She shook the thought away, her cheeks burning hot, as Negan climbed on top of her, hovering above her, his large toned arms were pressed into the mattress on both sides of her.

He raised a hand and gently placed a finger under her chin, causing her to face him, "Are you sure you want to, babydoll?"

"Yes,"

"Positive?"Negan smirked, arching a brow.

"Fucking yes, Negan."Melrose sighed, pulling him down to her, pressing her lips against his once again.

As she parted her lips, allowing his tongue to enter her mouth, Melrose felt his hand clutch her left breast, his calloused thumb stroked her nipple which caused her to moan into his mouth; she gripped his hair tighter as he continued to rub her nipple, making it erect. Melrose was becoming more aroused, her panties clung to her as she felt a wetness began to drip from her womanhood. Negan pulled away, breathing hard before he kissed down her neck, his teeth gently nipped at her collarbone and then he kissed in between her breasts before his tongue flicked against her right nipple. She bit her bottom lip, fighting back a moan as Negan began to suck the nipple as he continued to tease her other breast. Melrose closed her eyes and gripped the edge of the pillow, as she gasped. She felt Negan smile against her skin, he gave her nipple one last lick before he began kissing down her stomach, his fingertips and stubble facial hair brushed lightly against her flesh creating goosebumps as he hooked his fingers underneath the edge of her panties. Her eyes flew open and she quickly grasped his wrist, Negan looked up at her, his dark eyes flickered with lust, but his brow furrowed,

"I-I'm sorry..."Melrose stammered, her voice soft and sensual.

"You wanna stop?"Negan asked,

"No...I'm still a little nervous, that's all."Melrose said she cupped his face in her hands, brushing her fingertips against the stubble that covered his cheeks and jawline, "I-I _**want**_ you..."She whispered, almost in a begging tone.

Negan smirked, "Good...because I _**want**_ you too, babydoll."He said in a low dark voice, sliding her panties down her legs until they were completely removed, he tossed them to the floor. Melrose's heart pounded in her chest, as she slowly spread her legs, Negan's smirk widened, his dark eyes looked back to Melrose, "***-Damn, _**look**_ at _**yoooou**_..."He whispered, in a dark alluring voice, before he slowly slid one long finger inside Melrose's folds. She immediately gasped, biting her lip as he began to move his finger in and out of her, Melrose moaned softly, grasping the blankets beneath her, twisting them in her fists as she arched her back; Negan chuckled darkly as he leaned forward, forcing his finger deeper inside her, she moaned again just as Negan forced his tongue in her mouth, capturing her lips once again.

Melrose was beginning to lose herself, she kissed him hard, swirling her tongue against his, as he continued to finger her, she began to grind her hips wanting more, but something _**else**_ ; she moaned into his mouth, her fingernails raking his flesh as she shoved him away, both of them panting, "Stop teasing me and fuck me."Melrose purred,

Negan smirked darkly, lust burning in his eyes, as he slowly removed his fingers from inside her which caused her to gasp. "Oh, you want it that bad, huh?"He said, in a flirtatious teasing manner,

"Just...just do it..."Melrose replied, her voice on the verge of breaking, she needed him desperately and she absolutely hated it. But he felt so good, " _Please_..."She begged, as a throbbing ache began to pulsate within her, she missed the friction of his fingers but at the same time, she craved something _**more**_.

Negan chuckled darkly, " _ **Welllll**_ , since you asked so nicely."He grinned before, forcing his manhood deep inside her.

Melrose gasped and moaned as Negan filled her completely, for a moment there was pain, she bit her bottom lip as she squeezed eyes shut, a tear streamed down from her right eye; Negan leaned forward, gently pressing his forehead against hers, his movement had caused another surge of pain to burst throughout her being, Melrose winced as a gasp escaped her lips,

"Shhh, babydoll, I know, it's going to hurt for a bit," Negan said, softly, his voice was so gentle that it almost startled her. He raised a hand, tenderly stroking her cheek as he kissed the tear away, "but I'm gonna be gentle with you."

The pain was slowly melting away as he moved slowly in and out of her, Melrose wrapped her legs around his waist; she gazed up at him with lust filled eyes as she cupped his face in her hands. The pain had turned to pleasure and she now wanted _**more**_ , "W-What if I don't want you to be...?"She purred, in a breathy voice.

Negan smirked, "Then I won't."He said, with a grunt as his pace quickened a bit, "***-Damn, Melrose, your tight a little thing..."He growled.

Melrose gasped before crushing her lips against his vigorously, Negan forced his tongue into her mouth, growling, her tongue danced with his as the kiss became more urgent. She moaned into his mouth as he continued to pump in and out of her at a faster speed but she wanted more, she squeezed her legs tighter around him and began to move her hips in time with his. She felt Negan smile against her lips as they pulled away, both of them panting trying to capture the breath they had lost, "Damn babydoll...look at you..."He replied, darkly, his voice filled with lust.

Melrose knew she had to look a mess but she didn't care, the pleasure was consuming her and she wanted to drown, moans and pants escaped her lips which caused Negan's smirk to widen, "Come on baby doll, tell me what you _**want**_."He panted, grunting almost animalistically.

She struggled to think, all words seemed lost to her as the pleasure and intensity grew, "Come on...say it, _**Melrose**_."

The way he called her name sent a jolt throughout her, striking her to her very core, "I-I want you..."She whimpered,

"You want me to what?"Negan grinned, thrusting in and out of her faster,

A gasp escaped her mouth, as she struggled to talk, "I-I...want you...to...fuck me... _ **harder**_..."Melrose said, in between moans.

Her vision blurred but she could see a devilish grin spread across Negan's face, " _Good_ _girl_."He purred, before slamming into her harder, moving his hips faster.

Melrose gasped, her mouth hanging open as pleasure consumed her whole, she felt like she was drowning; she grinded her hips, meeting his pace. Moans seemed to be dripping from her lips more and more as he thrust harder into her, "N-Negan..."She heard herself gasp, before quickly biting her bottom lip.

He smirked, " _Fuck_ ,"Negan moaned, "hearing my name on your lips like _**that**_ , is like fucking music to my ears."He growled, before clamping his mouth down onto her left breast, sucking the nipple hard, as his thrusts quickened.

She squeezed her eyes shut as she moaned loudly, arching her back, her right hand clawed down his back while her other hand tugged at his hair. Melrose heard him growl against her flesh, his teeth began to graze her nipple, applying more and more pressure; she whimpered, it was a mixture of pain and pleasure that was sending her over the edge. Negan freed her breast only to capture her lips once again, their tongues swirling together, ravenously, Melrose moaned into his mouth, her fingernails dug into his flesh. She was near her climax, her breathing became more labored as more moans escaped her, they broke away, recapturing their breaths. She gazed up at Negan with glazed over eyes, full of sexual hunger, his eyes mirrored hers,

"Oh fuck...you're close...aren't you baby doll?"He asked, feeling her walls tightening around his manhood.

She couldn't form words, she whimpered and nodded before moaning once again. Negan smirked, " _Shiiiit_..."He grunted, slamming into her over and over again until Melrose couldn't hold it any longer. She screamed arching her back, as she came all over his dick, stars seemed to dance in her vision; her skin felt like it had been kissed by fire, she was floating in a cloud of pleasure and more continued to bubble within her as Negan continued thrusting in and out of her. His pace quickened, his eyes holding her gaze before his lips crashed into hers; her fingernails dug into his back as she moaned, feeling another orgasm rising with her, Negan broke the kiss, panting, "Fucking shit!"He moaned, with one last thrust he released his seed deep within her.

Melrose gasped, cumming once again, both of them were panting and covered in sweat, as Negan slowly pulled out of her, plopping down beside her on the bed. "***-Damn...I can't remember the last time I had a fuck like that... _shiiiit_ , now why weren't we doin' _**this**_ the whole time?"He sighed, smirking.

Melrose ignored him, she was slowly coming down from the pleasure high she was experiencing, she realized at that moment, that she wanted more of him. Negan was a drug and she had just become addicted. Her body trembled slightly, "You okay, babydoll?"Negan asked, softly.

"Y-Yeah..."She sighed.

She glanced over and noticed that he was still hard, she hungered for more, needed more of him; Melrose slowly rose and crawled on top of him, he arched a brow at her as a smirk spread across his face, "Damn, you want to go again?"He teased, his hands gripping her hips.

She returned his smirk, "If you can handle it, old man."She purred, inches away from his face.

Negan's smirk widened, "Oh baby doll, I can handle whatever you dish out and more."

"Good."Melrose grinned, lustfully before sliding down on to his dick, biting her lip as he filled her completely.

" _Shiiiiiit_."Negan gasped, closing his eyes, his fingertips digging into her hips as she began to move.

Melrose gasped as Negan suddenly sat up, pulling her close to him, her breasts pressed against his chest; her mouth hung open as he met her pace with more force; her hands cupped his face as they met each other's lust filled gaze. "You fucking little minx."He growled before he pressed his lips against her kiss-swollen lips. Melrose deepened the kiss, as they continued to move in perfect rhythm.

 _Fuck...I-I'm his...,_ Was the last coherent thought she had before she was pulled under the waves of euphoria... knowing that there was no turning back.


	8. It's Just Sex

**_Hello you wonderful readers, first off, let me apologize for taking so long with updates, but I have been really busy, getting married, my big move, life in general, etc. So please let me inform yo_ _u_ _how updating will go for this story as well as my GOT story, I have been writing in advance and once I get two to three chapters done, I will post those to hold you over until the next update. Please know that I have not given up on either story, it will just take awhile with future updates with all the new things going on for me._**

 ** _Let me just thank each and every one of you for being so patient and lovely. It really means a lot, each alert and review, really encourages me to continue._**

 ** _Thank you once again! Please remember to review!_**

 ** _WARNING: In future chapters, there will be more sex scenes so if that's not your thing, well then, this isn't the story for you._**

* * *

Chapter 8: It's Just Sex...

Streams of midmorning sun peaked through the mass of large dark storm clouds that filled the gray skies above. The smell of rain was strong in the air, a storm was brewing, thunder crackled distance. Negan's room was dimly lit due to the lamp on the bedside table which was still on, a trail of clothes which started at the couch and ended at the bed, were scattered across the floor. Melrose shifted slightly in bed, her eyelids fluttered open, her vision blurred and her head was pounding; a groan slipped from her parted lips as she perched herself on to her elbows since she had apparently been sleeping on her stomach. She raked a hand through her messy hair and sighed, her eyes darting over to Negan's sleeping from beside her. _Shit...,_ She thought. The ache in her head intensified as she rolled over, sitting up on the edge of the bed, for a brief moment, the floor swayed beneath her but the dizzy feeling quickly subsided.

Melrose sighed, tossing the wad of covers aside before standing up, snatching Negan's shirt off the floor, slipping it over her head as she padded off into the kitchen. She rummaged through the cabinets until she found a pair of clean mugs and the container of coffee, she prepared the coffee pot and waited, leaning against the counter. She closed her eyes, as the events of last night began to replay in her mind—skin against skin, hot, wet, carnal kisses, and his cock sliding in and out of her...—her eyes shot open as she heard the coffee pot began brewing, her chewed her bottom lip as her stomach convulsed at the very thought, she could feel a wetness beginning to form between her legs. Melrose quickly squeezed her legs together, ignoring the longing of wanting to feel him inside her again. She pursed her lips together and poured herself a cup of coffee, she then poured a cup for Negan and wandered back into the room, carrying the mugs. She took a sip of hers before placing them both on to the nightstand; she glanced over to see that Negan was still asleep, his large form, sprawled out amongst the bed and wrinkled of blankets that covered his nakedness. Quietly, she wandered over to his side of the bed, he looked so peaceful, so human...a part of her wondered if this had been the first time he had a decent night's sleep in days, his eyes always seemed to have a glimmer of tiredness, and there were always dark circles under his eyes.

 _Do it...do it now!_ She screamed inside her head, _Smother him!_

Her eyes darted over to the empty pillow beside him, before focusing back onto his sleeping form, his chest heaving up and down as he breathed shallowly. Her hands balled into fists at her side as she narrowed her eyes at him, _Do it! Kill him, kill him, kill him!_

Her fists slackened, as she sighed, turning on her heels and walking off into the bathroom, shutting the door behind her. She forced back the sliding door and turned the faucet on allowing the water to warm up as she slipped out of the t-shirt she had picked up off the floor. She pulled out a towel and placed it on the sink for once she was done. She stepped inside the shower and closed her eyes, letting the hot water rain over her, washing everything away...but not everything left...

She sighed, slicking back her wet hair when she heard the door creak open. Melrose opened her eyes and glanced over to see Negan's naked form through the steamy glass shower door. She felt her face flush as she swallowed hard, he strolled towards the shower and slid the door open, stepping inside.

Her breath hitched in her throat as she felt him behind her, his fingertips gently brushed down her sides, that was beaded with droplets of water, stopping at her hips as he pulled her against him. "Good morning, babydoll."Negan said, gruffly, she could feel his smirk against her ear.

"Morning Negan,"Mel replied, bluntly.

She felt his smirk widened, "Thanks for the coffee."

"Yeah, you're welcome."

" _ **Soooo**_ , "He purred darkly in her ear, his warm breath and the sensual way he spoke caused her hair to stand on end, "about last night."

Melrose turned slightly, cutting her eyes up at him, "What about it?"She asked, nonchalantly, raising a brow, stating the same phrase from the morning of their "date".

He scoffed which caused his smirk to widen, "Damn, you're ice cold, darlin',"Negan teased, before leaning against her, "I was hoping that we—"

"That can't happen again, Negan,"Melrose replied, curtly.

She felt his body tense against her, she glanced up at him to see that the color had drained from his face; his playful expression had been replaced with a furrowed brow and his lips were in a pursed line. It was his eyes that stunned her, they looked so sorrowful, swirling with regret. "Shit..."He muttered, his voice sounding wounded, "I-I didn't force you to...Melrosey, I'm—"

"That's not what I meant, Negan."She replied, a faint smile, touching his arm to reassure him. "What I mean is...you can't... _ **finish**_ like _**that**_..."She said, blushing. "There's no way in hell that I'm bringing a kid into this shit hole world, let alone _**your**_ kid."

His smug ass grin quickly reappeared, "Could be nice to have a little me running around."

Melrose rolled her eyes, "I think the world can only handle one baseball wielding psychopath."

Negan chuckled, raising a hand to cup her face, his thumb tenderly brushed across her cheek. "You sure that I...didn't force you, babydoll?"He asked,

Melrose smiled faintly up at him, "You didn't, I wanted to."She replied, softly, her fingers interlocking into his damp hair, while her other hand lightly touched his hip. There was no space between them now, as she pressed her lips against his, instantly parting, allowing his tongue access. Negan grasped the small of her back, forcing her closer against him, as they both hungrily lapped at each other, just as the kiss was becoming more urgent, Melrose pulled away, smirking up at him. "Besides, it's just sex, Negan."She said, tauntingly, before exiting the shower. She quickly dried off and wrapped the towel about her before leaving the bathroom. She heard the faucet creaked off as she crossed the room, pausing at the large dresser that was near the bed; she pulled open one of the drawers and began rummaging through Negan's clothes.

"And where the hell are you going, babydoll?"Negan asked as he approached her, a towel wrapped about his waist.

Melrose glanced over at him from over her shoulder and smirked, "I've got training with your newbies, remember? It was _**your**_ idea."

Negan rolled his eyes, "Shit, that was _**your**_ idea, darlin', you were the one bitchin' about helping out."

"Touché."She replied, with a shrug of her shoulders, as she pulled out one of Negan's t-shirts, "But oh well."

"You can skip out on it, ya know."Negan said,

Melrose let the towel drop to the floor, out of the corner of her eye, she watched as Negan looked her up and down, his dark eyes glazing over with need. "Isn't that against the rules?"Mel smirked, shrugging her shoulders before slipping the shirt on.

He scoffed, closing the distance between them, "You little smartass."He growled, a crooked smirk formed on his lips, "You're just gonna leave after getting me all _**hot**_ and _**bothered**_ in the shower?"

She returned the expression, "I didn't invite you, _**yoooooou**_ came in on your own, _**sooooo**_ not my problem."Mel stated, jabbing a finger into his chest.

"Damn,"He smirked,

"Look, I'd like to stay but I have things to do, _**babydoll**_ , so maybe later,"Melrose said, walking away. She began gathering her clothes from the night before along with her shoes, Melrose strolled towards the door, smirking to herself; she went to open the door when Negan's hand flew passed her, shutting the door, and quickly turning the lock on the doorknob— _Click—_ She turned slightly arching a brow at him, when she noticed the walkie-talkie in his other hand at his side, she hardened her eyes as she met his gaze,

He raised the walkie-talkie to his lips, that smug ass grin widening, as he pressed the button on the side of the radio, "Hey, Si,"Negan muttered into the speaker.

There was a moment of silence, which Negan used to hold her gaze, his smirk widening, until Simon replied back, " _Yeah, Boss?"_

"Tell our trainees that there ain't gonna be any train' today, Melrose is rather _**preoccupied**_ this mornin'," Negan informed, his voice guttural and low which stirred something within her. "Tell 'em they're to report to their normal duties and work for points today."

Simon chuckled through the receiver, "Sure thing, Boss. Have _**fun**_."

" _ **Will do,**_ "Negan smirked which caused Melrose to narrow her eyes at him, pouting as her face turned red. His hand fell from the door as he turned, strolling towards the couch, tossing the walkie-talkie onto the cushions before turning back to her, " _ **Soooooo,**_ now you're free, babydoll."

"You're an asshole."Melrose grumbled, "So you're just gonna keep me in here all day? And do what, exactly?"

He chuckled leaning against the arm of the couch, folding his arms against his bare chest, "You know _**what**_."He purred,

Melrose rolled her eyes, her blush deepening, "And what if I don't want to?"She snapped, walking towards him, dropping the garments in her arms onto the floor, mimicking his stance.

Negan unfolded his arms, his fingertips began gently brushing against the underside of her upper arms, which caused her to tremble as goosebumps formed on her skin. " _ **Oooooh,**_ but babydoll, I know you want to."

She scoffed, "My, how fucking, presumptuous of you, Negan."Mel spat, clenching her jaw.

Negan laughed as he leaned in her, invading her personal space, " _ **Mmmm**_. Big, fucking words. _**Sexy.**_ "

"Shut up."Melrose snapped, shoving him away.

His fingertips began to slither up and over her shoulders, causing more goosebumps to form on her flesh, her breath hitched in her throat. She bit her lip once he reached her neck, for a moment his hands lingered against her neck, she met his eyes which were glazed over with need her eyes then focused on his parted lips. Melrose swallowed hard, her lips parting just like his as she held his gaze once more, Negan's hands then slowly moved upward, cupping her face as he leaned into her. Her heart beat faster, her hands which seemed to move on there own, grasped his hips, a slight grin curled on his lips, "Come on now, _**Melrosey**_ , you just gonna leave me _**hangin**_ ' here?" Negan said in a low, seductive tone.

Melrose moved closer to him, breathing in his scent as her hands slid up his sides, stopping at his chest, her fingertips lightly caressing the short, dark curled hair that covered his chest. _Dammit,_ She thought, _I-I can't say no to him.,_ He was the drug she craved, no matter how much she wanted to refuse, she couldn't, her body wouldn't let her. She looked up at him from underneath her long lashes, a faint smirk formed on her lips, "Why don't you drop that towel and we'll see."She purred.

Negan inched closer, their lips almost touching, he smirked down at her arching a brow, "***-Damn, darlin', if you insist."He whispered. He let a hand slowly slide down her body which caused her to shiver, his hand moved to the towel loosely secured around his waist. His dark, wanting gaze never faltered, from hers which mirrored his own; he unwrapped the towel and let it fall to the floor.

Melrose swallowed hard as her eyes darted down to see Negan's already erect member, her stomach convulsed as she felt a wetness already beginning to form between her legs. Her eyes shot up to meet his once again, her lips parted as a ragged breath escaped from her before she pressed her lips hard against his. She felt him smirk against her as he groaned into her, his fingers dug into her flesh as he pulled her closer, their tongues danced together, hungrily. The kiss ended for a brief moment, leaving both of them panting, Melrose quickly pulled off the shirt she was wearing, along with Negan's help, and flung it to the floor, before capturing his lips once again. Negan leaned backward as Melrose pressed herself against him, she moaned into his mouth as he leaned further back which caused both of them to tumble onto the couch, the walkie-talkie clattered to the floor. Melrose was atop of him, her body tangled with his, she smiled against his lips and giggled as they parted, she glanced down to see the back of the walkie-talkie had come off and a trail of batteries were scattered across the floor.

"It seems your radio's been a casualty in our _**little game**_."She teased,

Negan smirked glancing down at the parts on the floor, then met her gaze again, "Fuck it."He said, in a low gruff tone before kissing her once more, before kissing and nipping down her neck.

She bit her bottom lip, fighting back a moan as her fingernails lightly raked down his chest as she rose up, placing her legs on either side of him; Negan held her close sitting up with her, his lips continuing to mark her skin. She slowly rubbed herself against his hardened member which caused him to smirk, growling into her flesh, she reached down and touched him, wrapping her fingers about him; Negan's breath hitched in his throat, which made her grin cheekily before positioning him at her wet entrance. Their eyes, glazed over with lust, met once more, he captured her kiss-swollen lips once again, their lips parting and met again, their tongues fervently lapping at each other. Melrose bit Negan's bottom lip as she slid down his hardened length, gasping as he filled her.

" _ **Fuuuuuuuck**_."Negan moaned as she began rotating her hips slowly, at first but the pace soon became faster. His hands gripped her hips tightly as he laid back against the cushions, meeting her pace, his dick thrusting deeper within her, hitting her g-spot, causing her to scream out. Her head rolled back, her eyes fluttering shut as Negan hit that spot again, she gasped, as her toes curled beneath her; audible grunts and sounds dripped from their lips, their bodies glistened with sweat, as skin slapped against skin, their movements making the couch creak. A gasping moan escaped from her as she collapsed against him, her breasts pressed hard against his chest. She wrapped her arms around his neck, burying her face in the crevice of his neck; Negan's hands roughly grasped her buttocks as he plunged deeper within her, grunting in an animalistic manner as he continued to assault her sweet spot. She could feel her orgasm rising within her, her walls tightening around him. Negan growled under his breath, panting, as he grasped her tightly, holding her to him as he sat up, she wrapped her legs about his waist; the position changed, Melrose was now laying against the couch arm with Negan hovering above her. They panted, their lips parted as their eyes met, darkened with an intense need and lust. Negan grasped her legs, and placed them over his shoulders before thrusting back into her, since he had slipped out of her, Melrose cried out, raking her fingernails down his back as he continued to slam into her.

 _It's just sex...it's just sex...it's just...,_ She kept chanting in her mind but as her orgasm continued to build, those thoughts left her, she couldn't form words if she tried, the only thing dripping from her lips was heavy breathing and moans, she was losing herself and she didn't mind it in the slightest.

Her fingernails dug into his skin, crying out as she came around him, her eyes rolling into the back of her head, she heard Negan curse and grunt as he quickly pulled out of her and released his seed on to her stomach. Her eyes fluttered open, for a moment her vision blurred, her body tingled as the pleasure continued to surge through her, a faint smile formed on her lips,

"Shit!"Negan sighed, a smirk spread across his face as he stretched across her, snatching the towel that had been covering him earlier. "Sorry about that, darlin'."He said, handing her the towel.

"It's fine,"Mel smirked, as she wiped herself off, "it was worth it."She said, bringing her hand to his face, her fingertips lightly tracing the stubble that lined his jawline.

His smirk widened as he grasped her wrist, kissing the tips of her fingers, she blushed as her heart fluttered within her, until a jolt of guilt pricked her heart. She lowered her gaze as she freed herself from his touch, her lips forming a purse line; Negan's brow wrinkled, noticing the sudden change in her demeanor, his lips twitched up in a faint grin, he sighed in an exaggerated manner, before saying, " _ **Wellll,**_ I don't know about you, babydoll, but after _**that**_ , I'm fucking starving."

Melrose scoffed, a slight smile returned to her face as she glanced over at him, "Me too, actually."She admitted, and as if on cue, her stomach growled.

Negan chuckled, his crooked grin widening, " _ **Wellll**_ , then that settles it, let's get cleaned up and then make us some grub."He said, before getting up from the couch. He began gathering the pile of clothes that were littered across the floor and disappeared into the bathroom.

Melrose followed suit, wandering into the bathroom, with her arms wrapped across her bare chest. She adverted Negan's gaze and retrieved a clean washcloth from the small linen closet, "You want some privacy, babydoll?"

"Um...if you don't mind,"Mel muttered,

He scoffed, "Alright, the bathroom's all yours, Melrosey."He said, before sauntering out of the room, closing the door behind him.

She turned the faucet on to the sink and let the water run for a bit, she released a sigh, running a hand through her unkempt, half damp hair. She cleaned herself and thoroughly washed her hands after discarding the washcloth, before splashing some water on to her face. She squeezed her eyes shut as the guilt continued to consume her, she exhaled shakily as her eyes darted down to her naked ring finger. Her brow wrinkled as her stomach formed untangleable knots, tears formed in her eyes, "Jase...I'm so sorry..."She whimpered, bringing a hand to her mouth to stifle her sobs.

She knew this was wrong, but why did it feel so right?

 _It's just sex,_ The wives voice rang in her ears, _That's right...it's just sex...,_ She thought, trying to convince herself. She only felt this way because it's the body's natural way to react...right? She didn't _**really**_ like him...right?

She sighed internally, wiping her eyes before exiting the bathroom. She wrapped her arms around herself once more as she crossed the room, Negan was leaned against the dresser, wearing just a pair of dark gray denim jeans. She noticed that a drawer had been pulled out as she approached him, she spotted women's clothing and undergarments inside. "You should be able to find something in here, you keep takin' my clothes, baby doll, I'll have to be struttin' around here naked."He replied, with that smug ass grin.

Her lips curled up as she glanced up at him, "That wouldn't be so bad."

Negan chuckled, "***-Damn, Melrose, sayin' things like that makes it sound like you've finally got a soft spot for me."

" _ **Mmm**_. I wouldn't say that you've just become...more tolerable."Mel said, as she began to sift through the clothing.

"You and that damn mouth."He smirked.

She smiled to herself, pulling out a black tank top that had thin straps, she also grabbed a pair of matching shorts and guessed that it was a sleeping set, then found a bra in her size; her nose wrinkled up once she noticed that all the panties in this drawer were thin, almost transparent pieces of laced materials.

Her eyes cut over to him and narrowed, "Really?"She grumbled,

His smirk widened, "Hey, if you don't like 'em you can always go... _ **without any.**_ "

"No."She scoffed, shutting the drawer with her hip. Mel tossed the clothes she had picked, onto the bed, a slight chill had entered the room, causing goosebumps to form on her skin, making her nipples erect. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Negan watching her, tracing his lips lightly with the tip of his tongue. She lowered her gaze, blushing and quickly secured the black bra about her. She grimaced down at the lavender colored underwear she had picked, before she began slipping them on until a surge of pain shot through her core; her breathing hitched as she winced, clutching her abdomen. A jolt of fear pricked her heart, she hurriedly glanced over to Negan who was wandering off into the kitchen, clearly not noticing her face that was twisted in pain, or if he had then he didn't want to say. Melrose stiffly finished dressing, the pain melted away to a dull soreness, she swallowed hard as a knot formed in her stomach. She closed her eyes, inhaling and exhaling deeply trying to settle her nerves, _It's okay...this is probably normal...you've...you've never...done this before, you're just not used to it...,_ She thought.

The knot in her stomach slowly began to untangle, Melrose padded over to the dresser, noticing a lone hair tie sitting on top, she snatched it up and placed her hair up into a messy bun, before wandering into the kitchen. Negan was gathering a skillet from one of the cabinets, he turned slightly towards her, as he turned the stove top on, her eyes were downcast and her face a bit pale. _Don't mention it, she's embarrassed.,_ He told himself, before sighing in an overdramatic manner. " _ **Soooooo**_ , whaddya in the mood for, baby doll?"Negan inquired.

Melrose glanced up at him, a slight smile tugged at the corners of her lips, "Um, anything, I'm just hungry."She replied,

Negan chuckled, "How about an omelet? I got some tomatoes, spinach, and mushrooms in the fridge, we can add to 'em."

"That sounds really good, got some bread? I can make some toast before I mince the vegetables for you."Mel said, leaning against the counter.

"Yep, in that cupboard."

Melrose turned on her heels and retrieved the bread from the designated cupboard and placed two slices into the toaster. She then padded over to the refrigerator, opening it to find the veggies that Negan had mentioned in small containers, Melrose gathered them from the fridge along with the bowl of eggs, before shutting it with her hip and carried them over to the counter.

"Here ya go."She replied, placing the bowl of eggs near the stove for Negan.

"Thanks."He smirked before he began preparing the eggs to make the mixture.

Melrose retrieved a knife from one of the drawers and began mincing the tomatoes first and after everything was chopped, she scooped them into one of the empty containers, bringing it to Negan to fill the omelets. At that moment the toaster popped, she padded over and plucked the now toasted, slices of bread from the toaster and placed them onto a plate, before getting the small platter of butter from the fridge. She buttered the toast, letting it melt before cutting the slices diagonally without thinking, she heard Negan chuckle,

" _ **Ooooh**_ , gettin' a little fancy over there, aren't we?"He teased,

Melrose glanced down at the plate, seeing the triangle slices, her lips formed a purse line, "S-Sorry, it's a force of habit I guess...Judith...it's the only way she'll eat things..."She said, softly. _Carl was the same way...,_ She remembered, placing the knife down onto the counter.

Negan's brow wrinkled and his lips formed a purse line as he ceased what he was doing and stepped over to her, placing a hand onto her shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze. "I know you miss 'em..."He said, faintly.

She swallowed the lump that had formed in her throat as she clenched her jaw in annoyance, she cut her eyes up at him; her expression softened, as she noticed the grim shadow that was cast on his face, his dark eyes were so sad, as if...as if he really cared...

She sighed, feeling more conflicted than ever, "It's fine, Negan..."She muttered, "You might want to check your eggs, you don't want them to burn."

" _ **Shhhhit!**_ "Negan cursed, rushing towards the stove, quickly switching the burner off.

Melrose smiled faintly, watching as he saved the omelets and began to plate them. She lowered her eyes, focusing back onto the sliced pieces of toast, the butter now melted along with the jam that she had just added; she sighed, before picking up the plate and walking towards the table, sitting the plate down onto the middle of the table. She sat down, taking a single a slice of the toast, and placing it on to her plate. "It looks good, Negan, thank you."

" _ **Welllll,**_ hot damn, you're welcome, Melrose."He smirked, before shoveling a big fork full into his mouth. " _ **Soooooo,**_ " He said, after swallowing, "were you and lover boy plannin' on havin' any kids?"

Melrose swallowed hard, the food instantly turning tasteless in her mouth, she glanced up at him with hardened eyes, "Are we...are we really doing this?"She asked, curtly.

"Well?"

"Yes. We were...but that was before...before all of _**this**_. I was going to move, we were gonna get a cottage in the Scottish countryside and have, I don't know, four or five kids."She replied, smiling faintly as she remembered all the things she and Jase had planned, in another life that seemed so far away now. Her smile faded, her lips forming a purse line as she lowered her gaze, "...but...plans change..."She said, softly, _Everything's changed...,_

"That they do babydoll, that they do,"Negan said, watching her with sad eyes as he took a long swig of his orange juice, " _ **buttttt,**_ that sounded like a nice little plan. I'm sorry the world went to shit before it happened for ya."

"Yeah sure..."Mel grumbled, stabbing her fork into the omelet on her plate. She glanced up at him, " _Sooo_...what about you and Lucille?"

He glanced up at her, a pained expression on his face which slightly, pricked her heart, but only slightly. "That's something I don't really feel comfortable talking about—"

"Really? You think it was easy for me to tell you that? I wasn't given the luxury of backing out, so why should you? Besides, Negan, you fucking started it!"She scoffed,

He looked at her with hardened eyes for a moment before his expression softened and he sighed, "Alright, fine, Lucille and I never had any kids, we tried, man did we try, but...it never happened, we were planning on trying IVF...but then we found out about the cancer..."

Melrose sat unmoving in her seat, her brow furrowed as a frown formed on her lips, "I always wanted a kid, _**kids**_ really, still do..."He said softly, with a shrug of his shoulders.

She froze in her seat as he glanced up at her from underneath his bushy brows, meeting her gaze with almost pleading eyes. Her face paled, "Negan..."

"What?"

She huffed an irritated sigh, "Look, we already talked about this. I can't and I-I won't..."She trailed off, her voice on the verge of breaking, as she stopped, gripping her fork tightly as she glanced back up at him with narrowed eyes. "You want a kid so bad, go fuck your other wives!"She spat, standing up from her chair, storming past him and discarding the remainder of the food into the trash. She hated wasting it but it tasted foul in her mouth now and she had lost her appetite. As she walked past him again, he grasped her arm, gently, his fingertips brushed up and down her arm, causing her hair to stand on end and goosebumps to prickle her flesh.

"I wouldn't pick them to have my kid,"Negan replied, softly in an almost saddened tone, "...I'd pick you..."

Melrose's eyes widened before quickly narrowing at him, her nostrils flared as she smacked him across the face. His hand dropped from her arm, as he sat there stunned for a moment before looking up at her with the same expression, "I said NO!"She snarled through gritted teeth, as she took a step away from him, "I wouldn't have your kid, if you were the last fucking man on earth...and even then, I wouldn't."

Negan sat in silence for a moment, before lowering his gaze, he shook his head as that crooked smirk formed on his lips, "Damn, that's fuckin' harsh, babydoll."He said, looking back up at her, "But I ain't askin' ya to, I was just statin' a fuckin' fact, that if I had to choose, it'd be you. Look, you think I'm stupid? Yeah, I may still want a kid, but I sure as fuck ain't knocking you up or any of my wives. I feel the same as you, babydoll, bringing a kid into this hell...no kid deserves that."

For a moment, Melrose stood there in silence, her anger slowly simmering away, she lowered her gaze to the floor avoiding his dark eyes as he looked over at her. " _ **Buuuuuuut**_ , that doesn't mean we can't have any _**fun**_."He purred darkly, as a smirk spread across his face as he pulled her onto his lap.

Melrose swallowed hard, as her expression softened, her eyes met his darkened gaze, her lips parted slightly at the closeness, her cheeks burning red. She hated herself, as she felt a wetness already forming between her legs at the thought, but that soreness lingered, causing a jolt of pain shooting through her. She pressed her hand against his chest, pushing away from him a bit, "Negan...it's not like I don't want to..."She admitted, in a hushed tone, "but," she stopped herself, shifting slightly in his lap, the pain still lingering.

His lips curled up slightly as he laughed, brushing a hand across her cheek, he stopped, holding her face in his hand, "Melrosey, you're so fucking adorable."

She narrowed her eyes at him and pouted, which caused him to laugh harder, "Baby doll, I can last a _**loooooooong**_ while but at the rate, we're goin' even I need a fucking break." He said, with a smirk.

She rolled her eyes and looked away from him, folding her arms across her chest, "Hey,"Negan said, slowly bringing a hand under her chin causing her to meet his gaze. Her brow puckered seeing how quickly his expression had shifted, the arrogant, sly look had morphed to one of genuine concern, "you hurtin' bad? Fuck, I should've been more gentle with you, I'm-"

"I'm fine, just a bit sore."She replied, placing a gentle hand onto his cheek as reassurance. His thumb stroked her cheek, a faint smile formed on her lips as a blush warmed her face. She lowered her eyes, " So...what now? I've got the day off thanks to you."

Negan chuckled, his lips curled up into a smile, "Well, the TV is still hooked up, we could watch a flick or two seeing as how you dozed off the other night."

Melrose smiled shyly, "Hey, it's not like I meant to..I was just...comfortable." She replied, which caused Negan's smile to widen, "...um...anyway, yeah, a movie is good."

"Good."Negan said, before standing up from his seat, cradling her in his arms as he did so.

She stared up at him taken aback, "I can walk ya know."She pouted, blushing.

"I know ya can, babydoll, but I don't want ya to. Damn, Melrose, can't ya let me pamper you a bit?"

"I don't need to be pampered, Negan."She hissed, cutting her eyes up at him.

"But I want to."

She gulped, lowering her eyes as he carried her into the living room, she chewed the inside of her bottom lips, her mind and feelings still a jumbled mess. She squeezed her eyes shut and rested her head against Negan's chest, sighing internally. _What am I going to do...how am I going to do this?_ She asked herself.

 _ **You have to.**_

 _ **Gain his trust...**_

 _ **Kill him. Kill him. Kill him.**_

Another wave of pain pulled her under it's choppy, shallow tides, her breath hitched in her throat as she gripped a hold of his shirt. "You alright, baby doll? If it's that bad I can go find you a hot water bottle-"

"I'm fine, really."Mel replied, as quickly as the pain had come it had left.

Negan gently placed her onto the cushions of the couch before he wandered over to the TV, placing a VHS into the VCR player. Her eyes focused on the walkie talkie that had clattered to the floor earlier during their tumble, she leaned over and retrieved it from the floor, gathering the batteries that had scattered about the floor and replaced them inside before snapping the back on, just as Negan plopped onto the couch. "Here."She said, tossing it into his lap,

He smirked over at her, "Thanks, babydoll."

"No problem," She replied, smiling faintly with a shrug of her shoulders. Her eyes focused on the TV, whatever movie this was must have been recorded years ago off of the TV, old commercials began to play; it was hauntingly odd, seeing a glimpse of a time from a life that was no more. She relaxed beside him, inching closer to him, resting her head against his shoulder. Her mind and especially her feelings were still jumbled in a knotted up mess...

Negan wrapped an arm around her, gently kissing her atop her head, Melrose gulped, _This...this is going to be harder than I thought..._


	9. Familiar

**_Hello you lovely readers, as stated before, I will be posting two to three chapters at a time now. I hope this holds you over until the next update, please just be patient with me. I have a lot going on but have not and do plan on stopping these stories._**

 ** _Thanks again for all the support! Please review!_**

 ** _WARNING: As I said before, there's going to be sex scenes in most chapters, not all the time, whenever there is, I will post a warning. You have been warned._**

* * *

Chapter 9: Familiar

Melrose awoke in Negan's bed, tangled up in the blankets, she could feel the spot beside her was empty and cold. She rubbed the sleep from her eyes, groaning under her breath, the grogginess melting away.

Since their first night together, Melrose had stayed in Negan's room, and being here, staying here, was making her familiar with how he moved. Negan never slept long, normally an hour or two and then he would be up and moving; she had noticed whenever he was asleep, he seemed to suffer from bad dreams, he would often convulse or jerk himself awake...she assumed, they were dreams of Lucille, but she never asked. She didn't want to know and didn't want to care, but...a part of her did.

She sighed, her lips formed a purse line as she rolled over, her fingertips gently brushing against his pillow before she quickly pulled her hand to her chest. She rolled back onto her back, huffing a frustrated sigh as she stared up at the ceiling. She hated herself, hated herself for feeling this way about him, for feeling any way about him, for even feeling conflicted about the plan she had been concocting. She hated it.

She ran a hand through her hair, trying to calm her nerves and thoughts. Melrose finally got up and began to get ready for the day, she knew she couldn't skip out on training again and for now, she still had to play the part of Negan's favorite little wife.

Melrose quickly dressed and pulled her hair into a high ponytail before leaving Negan's room. She wandered down the hall, her head aching dully, this had been happening frequently, dull headaches would come and go throughout the days, she knew the reason and for now she continued to ignore it. She was about to reach the door a the end of the hall when she suddenly heard voices, voices that had become familiar: Negan and Dwight.

Her eyes spotted the room where the voices were coming from and quietly inched her way towards the wall, the door was cracked open, she held her breath seeing Negan clad in his leather jacket, with Lucille perched against his shoulder, he stood before Dwight and a guy dressed in the dirtied jumpsuit of the lower workers, her eyes widened as she instantly recognized the stringy long brown hair, _D-Daryl..._

Her heart hammered in her chest causing her ears to ring, as a chill ran down her spine, he looked as if he had been dragged through the deepest pits of hell. He was dirty, his hair greasy and matted, the clothes he wore were tattered and dirty, he looked thinner since the last time she had seen him. She swallowed hard, her eyes going back to Negan, that sly, dark smirk was spread across his face. She focused behind him, noticing that the size of the room was about the size of her own, a small kitchen area with cupboards and a refrigerator was behind Negan, to the left was a bed, well, a mattress propped up on cylinder blocks, but it was probably better than wherever they were keeping Daryl; to the right was a plush brown leather chair, other homey knick-knacks were placed here and there.

"Has Dwighty boy here told you your options?"Negan asked.

Daryl remained silent.

" _ **Noooooo**_?"Negan said, in an exaggerated manner, arching a bushy brow at him. "Well, let me break it down for ya, you get three choices. One: you wind up on the spike and you work for me as a dead man. Two: you get out of your cell, you work for points but you're gonna wish you were dead. Three: you work for me, you get yourself a brand new pair of shoes and you live like a king! The choice seems pretty obvious, you should know, there is no door number four. This is it. This is the _**onnnnnnnly**_ way." He replied. Daryl still was silent, "Now, don't answer right away,"Negan snapped, sarcastically, "look around here, Daryl _**alllllll**_ of this, it can be yours. All you gotta do is answer...one...simple...question. Who are you?"

Melrose froze. That phrase...that phrase she had heard countless times since she was brought here...she gulped, she eyes focusing onto Daryl, awaiting his answer. _Say it...just say it, Daryl...,_ She thought.

She noticed Negan clenching his jaw in anger, his nostrils flaring, "What cat got your tongue? Or you just overwhelmed by the awesomeness of this?"He spat, before invading Daryl's personal space. He narrowed his eyes at him, "I'm gonna ask you one more time,"He said, through gritted teeth, holding the barbed wired end of Lucille in Daryl's face, "Who are you?"Negan asked.

"Daryl."

"This is the only-"

"Hey!"Negan snapped, cutting Dwight off, "Tsk. Tsk. Tsk. It's cool, D, he made his choice. Ain't my problem, if he made a dumbass choice!"He retorted, "Get him back to his cell."

Melrose unglued herself and quickly scurried down the hall, ducking into her room, leaving the door cracked an inch, she heard booted footsteps mixing into the patting of Daryl's bare feet against the floor. She held her breath as she saw them pass through the crack of her door, her trembling hand grasping the doorknob for dear life. She squeezed her eyes shut and released a sigh as she heard them leave.

"Damn it, Daryl."She muttered under her breath. Her eyes shot open just as she heard the door slam shut, followed by the thumping of Negan's booted footsteps wandering down the hall. She swallowed hard, her mouth running dry as she saw him pass her door; she remained silent and still, biting the inside of her lip, _Just keep walking...,_ She screamed in her mind. Melrose remained still, listening until his footsteps became more distant and the door at the end of the hall slammed shut, and even then she did not move until she was sure he was gone. She released her breath and slipped out into the hall, her head was beginning to pound but she ignored the pain, as she exited the hallway, heading down for training.

* * *

The training was over for the day, not much had occurred, everyone could tell Melrose was distracted, her mind elsewhere, and so here she was left dissembling the guns, removing the bullets for the next day. The air was hot and humid, and the sun was unforgiving, sweat beaded around every inch of her, she wiped her forehead and continued to her task, when suddenly a door creaked open and slammed against a wall. She turned towards the sound abandoning the table and trotted off to the courtyard where the sound had come. As Mel approached the opening, she heard frantic footsteps against the gravel, whoever it was, was trying to get away and fast. She swallowed hard, readying her gun as she rounded the corner, pointing her gun at a familiar face, one she had caught a glimpse of this morning...

Her eyes widened, her mouth ran dry as all color drained from her face, "Daryl...?"Melrose said, her voice trembling as she lowered her gun.

"Mel..."

She swallowed hard, taking in his appearance, she had only caught a glimpse of him through the crack in the door, but seeing him now, in closer vicinity she saw how dirty he was. His hair hung down in his face in greasy strands, he wore the gray tracksuit like the lower class "workers" wore, with a bright orange letter "A" messily spray painted on the front. He was barefoot and his feet had begun to bleed onto the gravel beneath him; her heart sank at the sight of him, seeing him up close. "Mel..."He murmured again, shuffling towards her.

Unshed tears blurred her vision as he neared, he wrapped his arms around and embraced tightly, trembling. She ignored the rancid smell and hugged him, crying, "Daryl...what the hell has he done to you?" She cried,

"It don't matter...come on, w-we need to go..we can escape!"

"I...I can't..."

"What do you mean you can't...come on, we need to hurry-"

"Daryl, I can't...there's something I have to do..."Mel said, softly, gripping the gun tightly in her hand, "and the time's not right yet, I have to stay...you...you go."

"I ain't leavin' here, Mel!"Daryl barked, roughly, grabbing her hand, "we're leavin' now!"He snapped, trying to drag her along with him.

"Daryl, I can't go!"She retorted, resisting him when suddenly one by one Saviors began to surround them, faces that had become familiar to her, she instantly spotted Joey and Arat, two guys she had briefly encountered, Jared and David, the six others she didn't know their names, but she knew their faces.

As the group closed in on them, that ominous whistle rang out in the courtyard. Melrose froze, her heart skipped a beat, as the gun slipped from her grasp and on to the ground. Negan entered the courtyard, wielding Lucille against his shoulder, that crooked grin spread across his face as his dark eyes narrowed at them. Melrose's eyes darted down to Daryl's hand holding her wrist and she quickly freed herself from his grip. _Shit!,_ She thought.

"Well, well, well, what the hell is _**thissssss**_ , huh? Daryl freed from his cage and my dear wife beside of him. What am I to make of this?"Negan said, through gritted teeth.

Daryl's eyes burned into Melrose, she quickly avoided his gaze as Negan trudged towards her, " _ **Sooooo,**_ dear wife, you care to explain this? Did you set Daryl free?"

"No."

"Then why are you here with him?"

"I-I was cleaning up from training and I heard something...so I came to see what it was."Melrose answered, holding Negan's gaze.

He leaned forward, looking her up and down before that smirk returned, "Okay, babydoll, I believe you."He said, gently stroking her cheek with his gloved finger. His dark eyes spotted the gun that she had dropped, he bent down and picked it up. "Damn darlin', you were ready to attack for me, huh? Must of been a shock to see ol' Daryl."He said, placing the gun back into her hand, closing her fingers around the grip. Negan sighed deeply in an exaggerated manner before he stepped over to Daryl, squeezing in between him and Melrose, practically pushing her away from them, causing her to stumble backward.

"Who are you?"Negan asked, pointing Lucille at one of the Saviors that encircled them,

"I am Negan."

His smirk darkened and widened, "Who are you?"

A chill ran down Melrose's spine, as this continued to play out, showing how much control he had over these people. He leaned into Daryl, invading his personal space, "I'm gonna ask you one last time, this is it,"Negan said, grimly, _**Who. Are. You?**_ "He asked.

Daryl once again stood in silence, which pissed Negan off, his brow furrowed as his dark eyes narrowed at him, his grip on Lucille tightened turning his knuckles white. "WHO ARE YOU?"

"Daryl, just say it...please!"Melrose begged,

"Shut up! This is his fuckin' choice, darlin'!"Negan barked, glaring at her to which she returned the expression. The gun at her side, felt like hot lead in her hand, burning her skin, numbing her fingers; her grip tightened, her hand trembling, _Do it! Kill him now!_ She told herself, _You can't...if you do it now, you'll both be killed in an instant._ A voice inside her hissed. She swallowed hard, knowing the voice spoke true, she sighed inwardly, regaining the feeling back in her hand.

"I AIN'T GONNA ASK AGAIN! WHO! ARE! YOU?"Negan roared,

Daryl cut his eyes up at him, "Daryl."He replied, with a scowl.

"Dammit."Melrose said under her breath,

Negan's nostrils flared in anger, his eyes burned with it as his grip on Lucille tightened, "Screw it."He snapped, swinging the barbwired bat towards Daryl's face.

"NO PLEASE!"Melrose screamed, her eyes widened in horror, but a gasp caught in her throat as Negan stopped the bat an inch away from Daryl's face. Her heart hammered within her, the gun slipped from her fingers as her knees met the gravel beneath them. Daryl never flitched, he never even blinked, fear gripped her as that sinister smile spread across Negan's face.

"Damn, _**yooooooooou**_ don't scare easy. I _**LOVE**_ that! _**Buuuuut**_ , Lucille, she doesn't. She thinks it's disrespectful. Lucky for you, she ain't thirsty today...but _**I am**_."Negan said, darkly.

Melrose's heart plummeted to her stomach, as her breath hitched in her throat. " _ **Soooooo**_ , I'm gonna go get me a drink."Negan grinned, before turning on his heels, with a wave of his hand, the group of Saviors grabbed Daryl and began to beat the shit out of him.

Negan chuckled darkly as he strolled towards Melrose, " _Noooo_...Negan make them stop please!"She begged,

"Don't concern yourself with ol' Daryl, come on, let's you and me go somewhere more comfortable."He said, yanking her up roughly by the arm, dragging her with him.

"No!"She snapped, "Please...make them stop...I'll do anything...please Negan, just make them stop!"Mel pleaded, clinging to him.

He arched a brow, "Anything huh? Why darlin', you know that...can be a dangerous set of words."He said,

"No...don't, Mel..."Daryl croaked.

She looked over at him, tears stinging her hopeless filled eyes, Negan gripped her chin, forcing her to face him, "Do you really mean that, babydoll? That you'll really do anything?"

Melrose squeezed her eyes shut, causing the tears to roll down her cheeks, "...Y-Yes..."She replied, her lip trembling.

" _ **Hmmmm.**_ Well, let's see, will you...ah,"Negan said, as he began to laugh darkly, his fingers digging into her jawbone as he tightened his grasp on her, "you said you'd do anything, right, babydoll?" He repeated.

"Y-Yes..."She muttered,

A sinister smile spread across his face, " _ **Soooooo,**_ then,"He said, as he began to fumble with the buttons on her blouse until one by one they were undone. Melrose's body tensed against him, her heart pounded loudly against her ribcage, she gulped, "you'd let me fuck you, right here in front of my guys? In front of Daryl, just to save him?"

Her entire body froze in fear, had she heard him right? Did those words really just come out of his mouth? Her mind went blank for a moment, as tears burned her tear ducts, her eyes met his gaze and a chill went down her spine, his eyes were full of darkness. A darkness that made her afraid, all color drained from her face. Normally, there was always a playfulness in his eyes when he did shit like this, but this time, there was nothing but evil.

"I-I..."She stammered,

"YOU SON OF A BITCH! LEAVE HER ALONE!"Daryl shouted as the beating continued, "Don't do it, Mel, you don't have to!"

"You said anything, right, Melrosey?"Negan smirked, " _Sooooo?"_

"I-I..."Melrose's mouth ran dry as she began to sob, "...yes..."She cried, forcing the words out, instantly feeling small and dirty.

"***-Damn, Melrose Grimes."Negan replied, grimly, before he placed two fingers into his mouth and whistled loudly, "That's enough, take Daryl back to his cell, no food or water for the rest of the day. And let him work on the fence."He said. The Saviors stopped beating Daryl, leaving him bruised and bloodied in a heap on the ground, Jared and David, roughly yanked him up and began to drag him away.

Melrose stood there stunned, confused, and fearful, Negan wrapped an arm around her waist which caused her to twitch at his touch, pulling her from her jumbled thoughts, "Come on babydoll, how about that drink?"He said, grinning down at her.

* * *

Hours had passed since that incident and Melrose still couldn't shake that fear, the dirtiness, it still clung to her, wrapped around her like a blanket. Once they had reached Negan's room, he had poured them each a shot of whiskey, which she guzzled down instantly. On her third shot, Negan had placed a hand over the top of her glass, "Damn, babydoll, take it easy."He had warned and she should have listened but she didn't. Now she was regretting it, her head began to pound, swimming, and a nauseous feeling churned within her stomach as she sat sideways in one of the armchairs, with her knees against her chest, while Negan was in the shower. She was now dressed in a pair of black sweatpants and a gray t-shirt her long dark, damp hair was pulled up into a messy, high ponytail.

He had allowed her to go first, which she gladly accepted, she had turned the water on the hottest setting possible, trying to wash the dirty feeling away. She had broken down while the hot, steaming water, rained down on her and she prayed that Negan had not heard her. She hated herself for ever agreeing to such a thing because she knew deep down she hadn't spoken true. She hated how Negan had scared her, truly scared her, how a man who was against rape would ever suggest such a thing, and she hated that he acted as if nothing had ever happened. Had he only said that to humiliate her?

She sighed, her head was throbbing as she heard the water cut off. Her eyes focused outside the window, the sky turning various hues of orange as the sunset. Moments later, Negan emerged from the bathroom, wearing only a pair of jeans, his white towel wrapped around his neck.

"Shit babydoll, why the long face? You've been moping around here since we got back."

She cut her eyes over at him, "Nothing, asshole."

"***-Damn, who pissed in your Cheerios?"He snapped, strolling over to her. He sat on the edge of the coffee table, leaning towards her, "Come on, darlin', what's the matter?"

"Why do you care?"Melrose retorted back,

"Aren't couples supposed to talk shit out? Communicate? So, come on, communicate with me."

Melrose scoffed, "We are not a couple!"

"Just...just talk to me. Come on, tell me what's wrong, baby doll."

"You fucking asshole! How can you sit there and act like you didn't do a ***-Damn thing?"She yelled, rising from her seat, "Did...did you even mean what you said?"

Negan arched a brow up at her, "What I said?"

She sighed frustratedly, "Don't...make me fucking say it, Negan, did you mean...what you said?"Her voice was on the verge of breaking, tears stung the backs of her eyes as she glared down at him.

"Oh shit... _ **that**_."He said, "Melrose, no, I didn't mean that, do you honestly think I'd do a thing like that?"

"I don't know, you tell me, Negan, because you sure do a lot of fucked up shit!"She snapped,

"Damn."He said, softly, raising a hand in an attempt to hold her hand, Melrose took a step backward and Negan noticed a flicker of fear in her tear stained eyes. "Don't be scared of me now, baby doll...shit, are you?"

She swallowed hard as she lowered her gaze, "I-If you didn't mean it...then why did you say it?"She asked, avoiding his question.

"I just wanted to see what your answer would be, but back there, you hesitated so let me ask you something, Melrose. Would you really have done it?"

She looked up at him stunned, her mouth ran dry again, "I...I-I...no, there's...there's no way I-I could do something like that..."Mel admitted, a tear rolled down her cheek, "And that...that makes me a terrible person."She cried, plopping back down into the chair, burying her face into her hands.

"No, it makes you human, ain't nothing wrong with looking out for yourself."

"Don't sit there and try to justify this. Yeah, I know humans do shitty things but...you have no right to sit there and judge me as if you are holy because the things you've done are the making of a fucking psycho!"

"That's what you think I am? A psychopathic monster?"

"I...I don't know what you are, Negan. You act like a psycho and then...then at times, you can actually be a nice guy..."Melrose said, it made her sick that she still felt attracted to him. So what did that make her?

He smiled faintly at her, "Look, baby doll, I didn't mean to scare you. I hope...I hope you've come to know me well enough to know that I would never, ever do something as fucking awful as that."Negan said, softly, "I didn't mean a word of it, Mel."He said, brushing a hand against her wet cheek.

She lowered her gaze then looked back up at him, his dark chocolate eyes glistened with sincerity. She sighed, cursing herself for melting like putty in his hands, "I believe you, Negan."Melrose said, "You're just an asshole."She replied, playfully shoving her shoulder into him.

Negan smirked, "I know."He said, before pressing his lips gently against hers.

She kissed him back, and he returned it with a harder kiss, his hand holding the back of her head. A shiver ran down her spine as her stomach fluttered, her heart pounded, as she deepened the kiss, grasping the hair at the nape of his neck while her other brushed downward, feeling his hardening member through his jeans. He growled into her mouth as he smiled against her lips, before he pressed against her, causing her to lean back into the leather of the chair. Their lips parted and met again, over and over, lapping each other hungrily, Melrose moaned into his mouth, fidgeting with his zipper. She felt him smirk against her lips before they briefly parted, recapturing their breath, their eyes glazed over with lust, "You want it that bad, huh?"He smirked,

"Shut up."She grinned, devilishly back, before capturing his lips, her tongue entering his mouth, swirling against his. She finally and successfully undid his zipper, they broke apart once again, panting; Negan with the help of Melrose tugged his jeans off, she slowly pulled his boxers down, his large erected member springing forth as she knelt down before him. She heard his breath hitch in his throat as she wrapped her hand around his length before she licked the length of him, tasting the salty precum that had leaked from his tip. She then took him into her mouth.

" _Shiiiiiit."_ Negan groaned, rolling his head back as he placed a hand on the back of her head, his fingers entangled in her tresses as she bobbed her head. She swirled her tongue against the tip of his penis which caused him to tighten his grip on her. She smirked around him as she began to deep throat him, bobbing her head. "Fuckin' hell, Melrose!"He moaned, gasping.

Negan gripped her chin with his other hand, sliding out of her mouth before bending over, forcing his tongue into her mouth. Melrose moaned, her stomach convulsed, between her legs dripped wet, causing her underwear to cling to her. She placed a hand behind her pressing it into the leather cushion of the chair as they continued their hunger filled kiss; they broke apart once again, recapturing their breath, Melrose cupped his face in her hands, her lips parted and eyes darkened with need as she moved back onto the chair, with Negan leaning down into her. He met her gaze, his eyes dark, mirroring her own, his hands sliding down her sides, pulling off the sweatpants she was wearing. Once those were removed, his fingers curled underneath the edge of her panties, sliding them off and flinging them to the floor. Her legs were already spread for him, as he pressed his body against her, kissing and nipping down her neck. He hastily pulled the shirt over her collar bone, her chest heaved up and down, as he trailed kisses in-between her breasts and down her stomach, inching closer and closer to her throbbing mound.

Melrose bit her bottom lip as Negan smirked into the flesh of her inner thigh, "***-Damn, baby doll, _**looooooook**_ at how wet you are."He purred, lowering his face between her legs.

A moan escaped her now parted lips as his tongue began to lap at her wet slit, his tongue plunged deeper within her, Melrose moaned louder, breathing heavier, her eyes rolled into the back of her head as her fingers tugged at Negan's hair, while her other hand clutched the chair's armrest.

He began pumping two fingers in and out of her, his tongue now assaulting her clit. Her breath hitched in her throat, which caused him to release a low throaty, animalistic grunt, vibrating through her.

Her fingers tightened in his dark hair, she tugged at his hair causing him to look up at her, that smug ass smirk spread across his face, his dark eyes glazed over with sex. "S-Stop teasing me and fuck me..."She demanded, breathlessly.

His smirk widened, "As you wish, darlin'."He replied in a husky voice. She wrapped her arms around his neck as his fingers dug into her hips as he positioned himself at her wet entrance before thrusting hard inside her without warning, Melrose gasped her mouth hanging open as another moan rattled through her; Negan's lips captured hers, his tongue entering her mouth, swirling together with her own. She wrapped her legs around his waist as he continued to thrust in and out of her, their lips parted, their breathing labored, Negan's pace quickened causing her to moan louder; her fingernails raking down his back. Melrose arched her back, her legs tightening around him as his cock continued to ram into her, deeper and deeper. "Mmmm...N-Negan!"She moaned, in between pants,

"Fuckin' shit..."Negan growled, he gripped her hips tighter as his pace quickened.

Skin slapping against skin, their bodies glistening with sweat, Melrose could feel her orgasm rising, her stomach convulsed, her walls tightened around his cock that was, deep inside her, throbbing. " _Ahhh_... _ahhh_...Negan!"She screamed, cumming.

Negan released a deep, dark animalistic grunt, growling as he quickly pulled out of her, splattering white cum all over her stomach. They were both panting, trying to recapture their breaths, sweat covering them, he grabbed the towel he had dropped and wiped her off before tossing it to the floor. Negan pressed his forehead against hers, he brushed a hand against her cheek, " _ **Damn**_ , baby doll..."

She chuckled placing a hand on his cheek and playfully shoving his face away from hers, "Do you have to make a comment every fucking time?"

He placed a gentle kiss on her shoulder before smirking up at her, " _ **Wellllll**_ , it's just so fucking good darlin', it deserves to be complemented, _**yooooooou**_ deserve to be complimented."

She snorted as she laughed, "You're an idiot, Negan."

She sat up, the pleasure high slowly wearing off her expression changed as she looked away, her brow furrowing as her mind cleared.

"What's wrong, baby doll?"

"Did you...meet with Daryl earlier today...it's just...you said you had given him the choice earlier..."She asked, inconspicuously, not letting it slip that she had spied on the conversation earlier.

He sighed, before chuckling, shaking his head, "I can't get nothin' past you can I, baby doll?"

She lowered her gaze, "Can't you just...let him go? You have me. You don't need him here, just...just send him back to Alexandria, because...because he's never gonna give in."

"Why would I do that? He's my leverage."

"I thought I was your leverage..."She began until she trailed off, as a jolt of realization struck her. "You son of a bitch!"She snarled, smacking him hard across the face.

"***-Damn, what the hell, Melrose!"Negan snapped, glaring at her.

She returned the expression, her nostrils flaring as anger fumed within her. "I never was your "extra leverage" was I? You took me because you fucking could! Daryl was your leverage all along! Right?"Mel retorted, Negan lowered his eyes, his expression softening, "Fucking tell me I'm right!"

He sighed, "Yeah, you're right. Look, it...it didn't start out that way...you were gonna be a ransom, to make ol' Papa Rick actually listen but...hell, I ain't gonna lie to ya, you're _**hot**_ as _**hell,**_ baby doll...so I changed my plans for ya, I wanted to fuck you, that's all. So I gave you the proposition, as I do, all pretty ladies that catch my eye, and you bein' the smart kid that you are, agreed and here we are..."Negan replied, trailing off leaving Melrose fuming, he lowered his gaze as he continued, "the only thing is, I never planned on fallin' for ya..."

Her eyes widened as her entire body froze, she swallowed hard, "W-What?"She croaked, her voice barely a whisper.

"I love you."

"Don't...don't fucking say that! No...no you don't, Negan..."

"I do."

"No! No, you only think that because...because...you said before how much I remind you of Lucille...that's why! You don't...you don't love me! _This_... _this_ isn't love..."

Negan glowered up at her, with hurt in his dark eyes, "I know how I feel about you. It's got nothin' to do with Lucille!"

"This isn't happening..this is just a delusion, infatuation...not love..."Melrose uttered, backing away from him.

"Melrose...where are you going?"

"I-I need to go...I-I can't be here right now, I can't be around... _ **YOU**_..."She stammered, hugging herself, her mind was running rampant, her nerves were frantic.

Negan frowned, his dark eyes full of sorrow, she looked away, she couldn't face him like that, not now.

"Will you come back later...for dinner? I-I don't want to be alone..."

He sounded so broken, so _**sad**_. She squeezed her eyes shut, she tried to fight against it but her heart still broke for him. "I'll come back later...but right now, I need to be alone..."She said, before hurrying out the door.

Tears burned the backs of her eyes as she rushed down the hall towards her room, _This can't be happening...this isn't real..._ She shouted _This was not supposed to happen! How could you let this happen!?_ She screamed, in her head. Because she couldn't lie to herself anymore, a part of her was attracted to him...

Melrose rushed into her room, letting the door slam shut, tears streamed down her cheeks as she plopped on the bed frantically snatching her engagement ring off the nightstand and slipping it back onto her finger. "Jase...I'm so sorry..."She sobbed.

* * *

"DAMN IT!"Negan growled, swinging Lucille, the barbwire bat collided with the empty or near empty whiskey and beer bottles, shattering them, glass and liquid covered the floor. He huffed angrily before dropping the bat to the floor, he plopped down on the edge of the couch, lowering his face into his hands. "Why the fuck did I say all that shit?"He retorted, squeezing his eyes shut, _She's right...I-I don't even know if it's true..._ He thought, running his hands through his hair as he leaned back on the couch. "She's so much like you, Lucy...maybe...maybe that is the only reason..."He uttered, under his breath. _But this somehow feels different..._


End file.
